


In the Snow

by midorimortem



Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Arranged Marriage, F/M, Family, Fate & Destiny, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Post-Endgame, Rare Pairing, Romance, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-29 14:51:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 70,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8494141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midorimortem/pseuds/midorimortem
Summary: Natalia's position as the future ruler of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear pushes her to take a decision she'll most likely regret sooner than later: In absence of any candidate worth considering, Emperor Peony proposes Jade as a suitor to ask for the princess hand in marriage. Their engagement poses as a good strategical move, but neither seem fascinated with the idea. However, as hardships happen and complicated situations keep bringing them together, they discover that they have more in common than they've ever thought.





	1. Head in the Clouds

**Author's Note:**

> This fic saw the light just because there is only a couple of good stories about them that updated back in 2007. So, I got angry and started writing afterwards, and god darn it, it took a LONG, long time to write. It's my fault for arriving late to this fandom. I do understand why this ship is not popular at all, though. I know that if anybody reads this, they're telling me head first: "Oh, JadexNat? That's a weird couple, I've never thought of them together!", believe me, I KNOW. I was there before you. But my imagination ran wild and now I can't get out of this mess. Now, the question is, will you fall into the trap just like I did a year ago? Tell me what you think in a kind like & review! I shall let you know english is not my first language so it may be rough around the edges... but I don't care. I really liked writting this mostly for myself, I'm publishing it to do something with it now that it's completed. If anyone's interested, yes, I've already finished the 10 chapters that conform this story. I'll upload them steadily as I edit them, but if I notice someone is actually reading this, I might work on it faster.
> 
> Published in ff.net and wattpad as well.
> 
> Written between October 2015- 2016

It had started three years ago. One suitor after another had visited Kimlasca-Lanvaldear's castle ever since Natalia became of age. And one after another, Natalia had refused their offering into marriage. King Ingobert the VI was growing steadily tired as his daughter's indecision prolonged the arrival of a new heir to the crown. He had hoped that when his nephew reappeared many years ago the situation would turn around, but he didn't expect the young Fon Fabre would drop his title and run away with his friends. They intended to travel the world in search for stray replicas who needed aid in adapting into society, and Luke had no intention to marry Natalia whatsoever. The possibilities of a marriage between them had dropped to zero ever since she'd discovered he wasn't, in fact, the Luke that had proposed to her several years ago. That man was long gone now.

"Have you taught about someone else, Natalia?" Her father asked as he took another sip of his teacup. The king's weary eyes looked at her daughter expectantly, surrounded by wrinkles and gray hairs on his brow. Worry was present on each word her father had spoken to her for the past month. It almost always came around the subject of Natalia's future engagement, and she was growing tired of it just as much as he did. "Lord Oswell's son has been waiting for your response for two weeks, darling, you might as well…"

"I sent him a letter this morning, father. Unfortunately, it's been known that Lord Oswell's son has a record on threatening the civilians of his feud close to Engeve if they don't pay extra taxes, beyond those stipulated by the official edict. I've already sent the Royal Guard to investigate the case." Natalia answered and took a bite of a small biscuit she'd been nibbling on for the past twenty minutes. One after another, Natalia had found a dirty little secret to blame on her suitors to discard their offering.

King Ingobert sighed in desperation. Even though Natalia was being logical and had her well-thought arguments to refute every single proposal, the problem had dragged for too long. "You have to decide on someone soon, Natalia. Don't make me have to pick for you…", he said with a large frown.

"I won't, father." She had no appetite and had been eaten very few things each time she had to sit down and talk with her father. The knowledge of having the afternoon tea with him each day lead to that sort of conversation had turned the meals bland and unsavory. "I don't want to make a wrong decision that will affect both our family and the kingdom, that's it."

In truth, Natalia wasn't sure that was the only reason she kept dodging the situation for so long. It was a fact that she cared for the people of her country and their future, but she couldn't get around the idea of having to be forced into an arranged marriage. As a child, the idea sounded almost romantic. She hoped she'd wed the man she loved, the one that promised her a world rid of war and destruction, of poverty and hunger for the people of her beloved kingdom. But that man had disappeared many years ago: just as Asch came back into her world three years ago, he went away and vanished.

Was it really Luke who came back that night? It happened so fast she didn't want to believe Asch had died. When _he_ reappeared over the selenia garden two years ago, she assumed it had to be replica-Luke, but as they talked during their trips or during his shorts stays at the Fabre mansion, some traits and mannerisms proper of Asch would pop out. Luke seemed mostly unaware of them, but Natalia could notice them, however subtle they were. His voice was rougher, his temper shorter. Untraceable parts of Asch remained, that only she was able to see. She had not told anyone about it, but she knew at least Tear and Guy were aware of the situation.

Natalia asked herself if, in some way, Asch's consciousness had remained inside of his replica after what happened in Eldrant's core, or if their memories had slowly started to merge and Luke was simply oblivious of it. Whichever was the case, it was obvious that Luke returned and Asch did not, at least not entirely. The consciousness that prevailed was Luke's, which was evident as he had come back to fulfil his promise to meet with Tear… and he never mentioned even once anything about his engagement with Natalia. After a month or so, Natalia decided it was time to formally call the arrangement off which set Luke free of the promise he didn't remember making. She was happy for them, and she didn't feel any sort of jealousy, or at least that's what Natalia told to herself each time she saw them together.

"You seem lost in thought, are you alright?". Ingobert interrupted, stopping Natalia's mental blabbering. She turned around to face him with a kind smile and nodded twice. "I'm sure you'll make a good decision, darling, I just hope it'll be sooner than later. And next time, please, tell me before you send the guard to arrest someone from a noble house…" He continued. "Moreover, I think you should get over the idea that our family has the right to make its people wait for personal benefit. I know you're scared and that an arranged marriage with a stranger is not what you'd have wished when you were younger, but the situation is growing dire, Natalia…"

"I understand perfectly, father." She interrupted him before a scolding started. "I can't deny I'm bothered by the idea, but I keep close track of my responsibilities… I've made up my mind about it months ago, it's just that none of the suitors seems to be apt for the role." Natalia wasn't lying.

Even if she still hoped for her original engagement to come true out of the blue, she knew those were childhood dreams she had to let go and grow up from them. She had already embraced the concept of arranged marriage, she didn't even care if she had no idea who her suitors were. The only thing she wished for was her father not having the last word on the matter. It had to be her decision, and hers only. She'd listen and negotiate the situation as any diplomat would do. That was her role as a princess and future queen, anyway.

Ingobert sighed again, grabbing his daughter's hand compassionately. Her thin fingers were covered by white, silk gloves that had belonged to her late mother. Even if Natalia wasn't their biological child, she reminded him so much of Olivia. Strong-willed, stubborn, tender and loving, the princess had grown to be a carbon copy of her mother's personality.

"Ah, I almost forgot." the king exclaimed, letting go of her hand to fetch one of the butlers. The elderly servant handed him a white envelope, which was already opened. "This letter arrived from Malkuth some weeks ago, requesting a royal audience in relation to the peace treaty, I remember telling you during one of our meals. I need you to be present during the negotiations and the renovation of the pledge. I've been informed another messenger was sent by Emperor Peony himself. I'd like you to accompany us during dinner to appoint the situation."

"It'd be my pleasure, father. When is the messenger arriving?" She asked, finishing the biscuit at last.

"At noon, perhaps two hours from now."

"It's enough for me to get ready for the audience. Would you kindly send a servant to fetch me when it's time?" Natalia stood up after the servants removed the silver tray with the empty teapot and cups and cleaned the breadcrumbs off the table.

"Of course, dear." the king remained seated, but squished his daughter's hand when she placed it atop of his shoulder before she left the tea room. "See you at noon."

"Good evening, father." She made a small reverence and walked out of the room, followed closely by one of her handmaids.

Natalia walked to her chambers, making small talk with the maid accompanying her. She was worried, because the peace treaty had been a complicated matter to attend when it first happened almost six years ago. It was because of a potential global cataclysm menaced of destroying both kingdoms that Malkuth and Kimlasca managed to sign an agreement, but otherwise the two nations would have mauled each other into war for no other reason than the Score said it was the predestined thing to do.

Five years without keeping track of the Score had been a great challenge, but both nations and their rulers had managed to bring things together one way or another. One of them had been the marriage between noble houses of the two empires, for example. Natalia wondered if it was possible some nobleman from Malkuth would apply to be her suitor. So far, it had only been noblemen from Kimlasca and she wasn't sure her father would be glad to accept an outsider from the kingdom into the royal family. Nevertheless, she knew her father had grown impatient and that desperate situations called to desperate solutions, even if it included the possibilities of the two kingdoms merging once again.

After taking a long bath, the maid fixed her hair and put some makeup on her face before helping her into the dress. Natalia walked out of the bathroom wearing nothing but her undergarments into the dressing room, where a formal white robe with lace embroidery awaited.

"Uhm… Giselle?" She asked the maid, who rushed back into the princess' side. "Isn't this a bit too formal? My father said it was just a diplomatic visit, shouldn't I receive them with a humbler attire?"

"T-they informed me the messenger was an important member from the Malkuth Empire and that I should help milady into these clothes, it was a request forwarded by King Ingobert himself. I got noticed while you were taking a bath, Lady Natalia." Giselle replied and offered a hand to help Natalia get into her high heeled shoes.

"Oh, you should have told me before! It's fine, Giselle… do you think it could be another proposal? It'd be the first one coming from a Malkuthian nobleman." Natalia slipped inside the dress and her maid helped her to button up the high collar of the upper part, the one that reached behind her back.

"I… I don't know, milady. I don't know if His Majesty would allow it." Giselle answered with honesty and placed a long navy blue coat over Natalia's shoulders. The princess walked into the mirror and took out several earrings and collars to combine them with the dress as she kept talking with the maid. The younger girl finished doing Natalia's hair and placed the silver tiara atop of her head. Natalia had to agree, she didn't know what her father's reaction might be. But she was certain of one thing: the king was wearing tired of the whole situation, and so was she. Anything could happen.

When Giselle was about to exit the room after Natalia had dismissed her, the King's personal butler knocked at the door. The messenger had arrived into the castle. Natalia fixed her tiara and thanked both the butler and her handmaid for their services when she walked out of the room. The elderly man locked it and escorted Natalia into the throne room, where her father was already waiting for her and the emissary, who wasn't there yet. Natalia greeted her father once again with a small reverence and a chaste kiss on the cheek, before sitting on the smaller throne to his left side.

"May I ask father, why the formalities with the messenger? I believe you said they were only an envoy sent by Emperor Peony, not Emperor Peony himself. Is there any other reasons behind the dress?"

To her surprise, King Ingobert chuckled slightly. "Be patient, dear. You look lovely, by the way." Natalia smiled a bit unsure of what was happening. She noticed, however, that her father was wearing his usual assembly attire, there was nothing special about his robes in comparison to hers.

"Is this another marriage proposal, father?" She asked, with obvious annoyance in her voice. The king smiled again, with a small tone of mischievousness in his muffled laughter.

"Not quite, Natalia. I'm sure you'll enjoy the visitor's presence." King Ingobert nodded at the servant at the door, who introduced no one else than the newly appointed General Commander Curtiss from the third division of the Malkuth Military.

"Jade!" Natalia screeched in a higher tone that she'd have wished. "You should've sent a letter, I'd have received you myself" She stood up from her throne and walked towards her friend, who kneeled before her as a sign of respect. In the sudden burst of excitement, she had forgotten about etiquette referring to visitors and envoys from other nations. She couldn't help it, though. It'd been months since she had last seen Jade. Once in a while they'd exchange letters to catch up, but they'd not seen each other often. Since his new appointment as a General Commander some months ago, Jade basically had disappeared from their lives.

"It would have been disrespectful, _your highness~"_ his words mocked her, making Natalia smile a with cocky smirk on her lips. "Besides, I was sent by Emperor Peony with a letter directed personally to King Ingobert, therefore I had to obey the protocol."

"I know. Congratulations on your promotion, _General Curtiss"_ She teased back, bowing her head in response.

Jade handed a white envelope with the Malkuth Empire seal on the front to the butler after greeting the King. The man opened and handed the letter to the butler, who opened and passed it to his master. He read it in silence, barely even blinking. King Ingobert's eyes flashed across the paper several times, Natalia noticed her father read the letter at least three times before speaking a single word.

"Read it out loud, General." He handed the paper to Jade, with the same smile he'd been wearing ever since before Jade entered the room. Both his daughter and the Necromancer knew something should've shaken the king in order for him to read the same paper three times, and still ask the messenger himself to read the letter. Doubtfully, Jade took the letter and cleared his throat before proceeding to read it, exchanging a confused look with Natalia.

> _To his Highness King Ingobert the VI from the great kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear_
> 
> _I, as the maximum ruler of the Malkuth Empire, request a sign of mutual cooperation in behalf of the reinforcement peace treaty established on the year of N.D. 2018, as a renewal of the pledge of trust accorded by the two nations. The mere intention of this letter is to offer a proposal to his Royal Highness in regard of Princess Natalia's future as the Regnant Queen of the kingdom. It is known that Princess Natalia's engagement has been postponed for the lack of an appropriate suitor, but she's been of marrying age for the past four years. As an offering of peace, trust, and mutual cooperation, I, Emperor Peony Upala IX would like to-_

Jade stopped reading out loud. Natalia stared at him in confusion, but she didn't ask what happened. She could see in Jade's shocked expression something had gone wrong with the letter, but he continued to read it beneath his breath until the end.

"...there must be a mistake, your Highness." Jade muttered, raising his eyes from the paper into the King's face.

"For your reaction I must imagine you had no idea of Emperor Peony's plan… keep on reading, General Curtiss." Ingobert said with a low chuckle. Natalia's eyes drifted from Jade to her father, and back.

> _...As an offering of peace, trust and mutual cooperation, I, Emperor Peony Upala IX would like to offer General Commander Jade Curtiss as a possible suitor for Princess Natalia. Should General Curtiss become prince consort of the royal family of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, the agreement would need no further reinforcement or sign of renewal during the upcoming years while both parties remain alive and wed. As my right-hand man and personal friend of Princess Natalia, General Curtiss should act as a bond between our two nations, in service of both of their people and their royal families. Should Princess Natalia accept my proposal to take General Curtiss as her husband, I'd like to personally introduce the new formal agreement to King Ingobert IV on the neutral grounds of Daath or Yulia City._
> 
> _Awaiting for your response,_
> 
> _Emperor Peony Upala IX, from the Malkuth Empire._

As Jade finished reading, Natalia noticed he was as pale as the paper he'd been holding on his hands the whole time. She was shocked as well, but nothing good had come out of making Jade read Peony's letter out loud. He looked nauseated, almost sick. Natalia had never seen him so shaken before, but he regained his composure when he handled the letter back to the servant.

"Jade is right, there must be a mistake", Natalia argued, but her father had a cheerful look on his face. "This has to be a joke or something, right, father?"

"I actually think is a good idea." The king said, with the large smile still plastered on his lips. King Ingobert looked almost amused with both of their reactions. "But what's your take on the matter, General?"

"If… If the Emperor has issued an order, I have to comply." Jade seemed to be gritting his teeth as he said it. On very few occasions Natalia had seen him this bothered, noticeably because of his lack of snarky and sarcastic remarks on the matter. It was almost like someone had told him people were using fomicry again.

"I remember there was an issue for high noblemen of Kimlasca to marry into those of Malkuth, father… General Cecille's family is proof of that." Natalia replied after a prolonged silence, since Jade seemed to be at a loss of words that didn't imply insulting Emperor Peony in some way.

"Indeed there was a problem, but General Cecille's family name was restored into grace once the peace treaty was signed, no longer been seen as traitors to the crown. The situation got complicated decades ago because of the Hod war, but nowadays it's no longer the case." Ingobert looked both at his daughter and the man in front of him, waiting for another logical approach to avoid the situation. Their silence, however, made him believe he had the upper hand at the matter.

"I stand with Milady, Your Highness. This puts us both on a precarious spot, not to say you'd be delivering your daughter onto a formerly enemy soldier with a reputation that precedes him." Jade's argument was valid, Natalia thought. Jade's name brought a taint into his own reputation, both as the father of fomicry and the almost legendary status they'd given to him as the Necromancer.

"Do you realize you've been fixing your own mistakes for the past twenty years, General? They go far beyond the name you made for yourself…" King Ingobert's smile remained on his face. "For example, banning fomicry research and development, helping bring peace between Malkuth and Kimlasca, saving Auldrant from falling into the Qliphoth and subsequently being dragged into the liquefied core and consumed by miasma, destroying the rouge replica from Professor Nebilim, not to mention developing the research to stabilize the bodies of replicas that remained after the whole incident with General Grantz, therefore taking personal care of my nephew's health... You might as well be considered a national hero for both Kimlasca and Malkuth." Ingobert could continue enlisting the deeds Jade and the others had accomplished to save the world many years ago, but it was obvious he had made his point already.

Natalia seemed like she was about to fall into a temper tantrum, but Jade had slowly recovered his composure, and kept a discreet smile on his face. The princess knew better, though: it was just a facade that Jade had perfected over the years to conceal his true emotions. She had only seen his perfect mask of serenity slip when people brought the abuse on fomicry and replicas into the table, but as it seemed, there were more topics that made Jade lose his calm. Had something happened she wasn't aware of? Natalia was sure Emperor Peony would know about it and he'd not force Jade to do something like that for diplomatic measures. Something seemed off, and she had to make sure what was it.

"I have no arguments against that," Jade admitted, fixing his glasses over the bridge of his nose. "Nevertheless, there will probably be a strain against your family name because of taking me as a possible suitor. Not to mention there are certain other business regarding Princess Natalia's marriage that should be considered already, have you thought about them, Your Majesty?" She knew exactly what he was talking about, and she was sure her father did as well. In those years, they'd never set those discussions over the table, not even once.

After the ungrateful incident in which it was uncovered that Natalia wasn't the righteous heir to the crown, as the original princess had been stillborn and replaced with a servant's newborn child, the King and his daughter slowly made amends and started anew. But regarding her marriage and future status as regnant queen, they'd never discussed over the matter. If either Asch or Luke had married her, the problem would have most likely been overlooked. If things got complicated within the noble houses, either of them would have been proclaimed king instead, but no one would care that _fake princess Meryl_ married into the royal family. But given the case Luke wasn't up to marry Natalia anymore, and Asch had seemingly disappeared or died during the events that happened years ago, the situation turned out for the worst.

"I am well aware of the troublesome situation Natalia might find herself in the future." The king answered, still smiling. For some reason, he looked awfully sure of himself that night, Natalia thought. "But it's been proved that the future queen counts with full support of her people, who'd even give their lives protecting her. That includes the sympathy of Malkuth citizens, who'd empathize with the situation even more if you were to be taken into the Royal Family." Ingobert fixed his position, sitting straight to look more imposing. "Besides, if anything were to happen to Natalia, I'd hope my son-in-law would be able to protect her from harm. I see no problem with you being capable of doing that, General."

"Ah, perhaps you're forgetting I am but a mere fragile old man, Your Majesty. Your daughter is in the prime of her youth and you're willing to offer her hand in marriage to a rotten, four-eyed, foul tempered old man... however, I'd gladly listen to His Highness arguments during dinner, if you consider my Emperor's plan a good idea. I am willing to follow the orders given to me as long as we've all come to a common accord." Jade bowed his head with a slight tone of defeat in his voice and a faint sigh escaping his lips. Natalia knew she'd be having a hard time refusing this unwilling proposal, but she believed there could be another option. Jade should be thinking of some sort of logical outcome for all this and he'd be able to call it off, right? He was always three steps in front of everyone else when situations grew dire, so he should be able to sort this one out, Natalia hoped.

"For now, I kindly ask for a few minutes to send a letter to Malkuth before the dinner's discussion, if your Majesty would allow me." Natalia's eyes popped open. It was the perfect opportunity to talk about it without her father's prying eyes watching over them. She also needed to send an urgent messenger dove to Tear, seeing the outcome of that night's reunion.

"Father! I remembered I had fetched my handmaid with something for the mailman sometime this evening, but I forgot to attach a present! Would you mind if I personally escort General Curtiss to the messenger's office and walk him back to the dining room?" She had to take advantage of their time apart from her father to ask Jade's true opinion on the matter, as she believed there was no way he was alright with the King and the Emperor's decision.

"Fine. You're both dismissed. Make sure to be at the diner room in half an hour, please."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."


	2. Walking on thin Ice

It was all a strategical move both from Peony and King Ingobert, Jade knew it from the moment he had finished reading the letter for the first time. Peony was aware of the harsh situation in which Ingobert was placed because of Natalia's indecision, so he took a chance to set his winning ace into a match he wasn't even playing. Both kingdoms would gain stability and a prolonged state of peace, not to mention beneficial economical ground for both parties, especially Kimlasca. The tensions within both armed forces would calm down by having an important figure of the Malkuth Empire marry the heiress to Kimlasca's throne. Given the case it was his own daughter and the future beloved queen of the kingdom, he'd not be able to flag Natalia as a traitor for marrying into Malkuth if things ever got dire again.

In Jade's case, being best friends with the Emperor brought certain benefits, and under the circumstances Peony was removed from the crown, Kimlasca would protect him even from his own country. It was beneficial for the two nations, and it assured security to those involved directly in the engagement. Even though it had its multiple benefits, it was most likely Jade would be unable to climb further into a higher position within the ranks of his country's army. Staggering in his military career wasn't much of a downfall if it implied having contacts and influence on both countries, mostly if it allowed the Necromancer to spread awareness on the ban on fomicry on Kimlasca's side. However, he had no actual desire to be set into an arranged marriage, much less when he was about to turn 40, and much less to a woman who was almost half his age.

"Tell me you've been thinking about something during this whole time, Jade!" Natalia scolded him as they walked side by side across the halls of the castle, heading towards the mailman's office. "We can't possibly agree to this."

Jade stopped her before they could reach any further, so that no guard or maid would listen to them. The hall they had stopped was deserted, only adorned by a coat of arms and a pair of classical portraits that depicted a past Kimlascan ruler, his hair red and his eyes bright green, as the Score had settled for the generations to come.

"You have to admit the plan is not bad itself. Is a good strategic move for both your country and mine." The princess rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. Jade rested his back against the wall, meanwhile she walked in circles around him in desperation.

"But I don't… never mind. It's not the time and place to discuss that. I just wish there was another option..."

"I understand your frustration; I would desire for a way to get out of this as much as you do. However, I don't think it's time for either of us to be selfish about this. If you think of anything, let me know, of course." Natalia sighed. He was right.

"I know it's not a bad plan, but how can you remain so calm? Just about some minutes ago I thought you would kill my father if he kept making you read the letter." She kept pushing forward and the older man started to follow behind her soon after. She didn't wish to be late to dinner, after all.

"Marriage is a complicated subject; I do not rejoice on the idea." He answered with serenity, catching up with her after increasing the speed of his steps. Natalia's inquisitive eyes and sudden pause of her walk made Jade shake his head slightly. "I'd rather not talk about it, if you don't mind."

"Then think of something to avoid the engagement. Out of all people I'd rather not marry you, General." Her voice was filled with passive anger, and she wasn't very good at concealing it.

"Oww, that hurts my feelings, you know?" He joked with a smile on his face. "Relax, I've not even proposed to you yet, and I have no intention to do so unless Emperor Peony orders me to do it… or you ask for it yourself." He added with cockiness in his tone. Natalia snorted, but didn't answer back.

They reached the east part of the castle, where the offices and workshops were found. They still had to walk for a while to enter the mailman's room but the halls on their way there were almost deserted.

"Imagine for a second we didn't know each other like we do now, Natalia… what would be your take on the matter?" Jade asked after a few moments of silence, when another hall was void of servants to eavesdrop on their conversation. Natalia stopped, giving her back to him and lacking in words to answer. She wasn't certain she'd have said yes, Jade's name had a lot of baggage on it to be simply overlooked. But his good deeds were almost equivalent to the sins he had committed in the past, if not greater, to the point of making him the most appropriate suitor she'd interviewed so far. He didn't lack problematic traits or troublesome matters for the kingdom itself, but the strategic and diplomatic position Jade held made him almost fit for the title.

"I… I'd rather not talk about it, if you don't mind." She replied mimicking his words.

"I imagined as much." Jade sighed in desperation, without saying anything else. It was as if he'd read her thoughts with just sensing her tone. "Now, were you actually going to fetch your handmaid or did you just lied to your father to talk to me on private?"

"No, I actually have to send something to Tear, I presume I am going to need her advice sooner than later." She said with a tint of sarcasm and displeasure in her voice. Natalia knocked on the messenger's door, which was opened almost immediately by an elderly man. He bowed to the princess immediately and greeted the soldier with a small nod of the head. Natalia greeted him back and asked him for a scrap of paper.

"My companion, General Curtiss would like to send a letter to Grand Chokmah's castle on express delivery, if possible." Natalia smiled kindly as she explained after being handled the paper and the quill.

"As you wish, Your Majesty." The old mailman looked at Jade with weary eyes, possibly tired from a whole day of work. "General Curtiss you say? Jade the Necromancer, isn't it?"

"As expected, my reputation precedes me."

"Oh no, no, mister! Don't get me wrong. A letter arrived for you under that name some minutes ago, it was the last letter of the day." The old man took an envelope from his desk, with Peony's personal seal on the cover. "Express delivery from Malkuth, it seems."

"This ought to be interesting…" Natalia muttered as she wrote a quick missive to Tear and handed it to the mailman. "Is it from Emperor Peony?"

"Indeed it is…" Jade sighed and cursed under his breath. "... that idiot."

> _Dear Jade, I know you're probably thinking of ways to rip my head off right now, but I ask of your cooperation during the renewal of the peace treaty, as you're possibly the only Malkuth soldier with status and positive presence in Kimlasca that's still alive to this day. Perhaps my suggestion to King Ingobert wasn't as smooth as I'd have hoped it would be, but I need you as an inside-agent in Kimlasca, more than as a General in Malkuth._
> 
> _I know the reasons why the subject bothers you, I know what the Score said about the situation and why you kept avoiding it at all costs. Then again, now that the Score has been proven to be flawed in nature, are you still afraid of it happening? I wonder, perhaps it'd be good for your old bones to loosen up a bit. If you find any other way to perpetuate the treaty as long as possible, another suitor fit for princess Natalia, or some other solution, propose it to King Ingobert and let me know about it._
> 
> _P.D.: If you think it's right, use it. It was going to be back into your family's belongings someday, anyway._
> 
> _Yours, Peony._

_"_ Can I?" Natalia pondered, asking to receive the letter once Jade was done reading it.

"I'd rather not. We better excuse ourselves and head to dinner with King Ingobert." Jade answered, sticking Peony's note in his pocket.

Right afterwards, they walked back to the central part of the castle to head into the large dining room, right below the staircase that led to the conference chamber. King Ingobert was already waiting for them as they arrived, and several maids rushed with silver trays and goblets filled with food and beverage. The three of them were escorted into their seats by the King's butler and placed themselves over the northern side of the large table, Ingobert taking the central seat as expected. Natalia sat to his right and Jade sat right in front of her. The first two courses were spent in almost complete silence, with the exception of some small talk between Jade and the king.

Natalia kept quiet the whole time, avoiding eye contact and apparently setting her mind on her food, without any appetite. Jade could see her father threw an occasional worried glance at the young woman, but she'd not say anything. He was sure she did notice her father's preoccupied state, as well as Jade's own curious eyes prying on her. But they said nothing. Their chatter didn't involve the previously discussed topic directly, there were never mentioned the words engagement, marriage or even Natalia's name during the whole discussion. Yet, the three of them could sense the underlying tone of their conversation: talking about political advantages, the economic situation and the cultural development of both nations had all a strong relation with the renovation of the peace treaty. Peony's proposal was still hiding behind those words that seemed to avoid the situation. It was almost as if her father knew all along... As the conversation with Ingobert kept on, Jade's eyes drifted more frequently towards the Princess, as she sat in front of him in complete silence. She didn't look alright, but she didn't speak her mind. Until her broken voice interrupted a long, forced silence while the maids brought the last course of the meal to the table.

Unexpectedly, she smashed her hands against the table, making the plate before her tremble with her still-untouched food on it. Both the king and the general stared at her, perplexed by Natalia's sudden outburst, and the maids stood frozen on their places as they all gazed into the princess' direction, waiting for her to say something.

"I can't… I can't take it anymore father, this is preposterous."

"Natalia, calm down…"

"No." She interrupted him, raising a hand in apology for the lack of respect she was showing to her father. She rose from her seat and fixed her position to look taller, even imposing. "I understand the situation is pressing and that I need to make a decision soon, but accepting Emperor Peony's proposal without further consideration is not right."

"We weren't considering accepting it right away, dear. Please sit back…"

"That's not it, father" Natalia interrupted again. "You knew about it beforehand, yet you're making it look like you didn't and you keep rubbing it on our faces in one way or another. The matter is still present at the conversation whenever the peace treaty comes into topic, for example. I do believe is a pressing problem for both of nations, but using my engagement as a solution doesn't seem right." She condoned, smashing her gloved fists against the table slightly. "It is indeed a good strategical move for both parties, as General Curtiss pointed at me some time earlier. However, it's not alright. It is not a solution to the upcoming conflicts between our nations, it's a patch for old disagreements and a pretext to avoid discussing the possible upcoming international threats. If that's the case, I'll not give my approval of it…"

"You've got a point, Princess, but your father has the last word on the matter."

"Let me finish, General. I know you don't agree on this either, so at least listen to what I have to say."

Jade looked at her with an astonished look on his face. He had seen Natalia at her worst when the events of four years ago happened, but he'd never actually seen her angry, to the point where she would order him to shut up. She was, besides of stubborn and a bit rude and imposing, full of resolve and conviction that any noblewoman should have. She was so sure of her own words that it was almost intimidating. Jade had only felt this way towards one woman his whole life. He shuddered at the memory, and let Natalia continue her speech, now mostly directed to her father. The King didn't seem very amazed, he'd most likely grown used to Natalia's outbursts of anger over the years.

"I plan on taking a decision soon. I've already set my mind to picking a suitor before the night of the peace treaty conference is held. That's why I ask of you, father… have the conference meeting postponed for a week, a month from today." Natalia pledged. "Give me the right time to revisit my suitors' proposals and their potential as servants of our kingdom and our people. I wish to take a trip with my friend, Tear in order to clear my mind… to think of another possible option. But for now, I've set a date to give you an answer, and give it to everyone that's shown interest in the engagement. A month for now, both of you and my future fiancé will have a sure response from my part." The king's expression had changed to that of amazement this time, but he also showed a proud smile as he nodded slightly.

Natalia continued. "As of Emperor Peony's suggestion… I will take it into consideration if either General Curtiss decides to propose on his own or his Majesty decides to order you to do it." She sighed in resignation. "Whichever it is, I shall check into the situation just like I'd do towards any other of my suitors. But I blatantly forbid it to become a half-hearted solution for the peace treaty. For now… that's all I have to say on the matter."

She sat back down, glancing with resolved eyes at her father's face. Her heart was beating fast and her breathing was short and agitated, but she remained firm. Ingobert sighed in defeat and said nothing else. He finally gave in to Natalia's intimidating gaze and nodded slightly, fetching his butler once again to ask the mailman to forward an edict to Daath, Yulia City, Chesedonia and Grand Chokmah, in order to move the date of the peace conference.

Jade let out an exasperated groan when Natalia finished her speech and Ingobert was giving instructions to the servant. If she had that resolve at her age, she was going to make him look bad if he didn't respond the same way. She had a point, the engagement would bring no actual solution, but the actions both nations took after it was settled were to change the destinies of both kingdoms. He knew he was just a pawn in Peony's game, but he was, undoubtedly, a very valuable piece the Emperor refused to sacrifice so easily. As a pawn he'd climbed so high, the enemy would have to crown him eventually. The metaphor actually fit perfectly. He was definitely going to take it back out at Peony once he was back in Grand Chokmah in a week for using him as part of his games.

"In given case…" He muttered, standing up from his seat and walking behind King Ingobert's chair, to stand in front of Natalia. "His Majesty sent me this… he suggested that if I acceded to take part of his obnoxious proposal, I should use it right away. I guess I'll have to cooperate with Princess Natalia's courageous effort, don't I~?"

Jade kneeled before her and took out a small piece of jewelry from the pocket where he'd placed the letter before. It was a precious, antique ring with a small series of diamonds and a large, white moonstone in the center. Jade felt a pinch of nostalgia when he saw the small ring tucked inside the envelope that Peony had sent earlier.

"I humbly ask for your hand in holy matrimony, Princess Natalia, if you're willing to take me."

Natalia's face calmed down from her previous outrage and it shined with amazement and simultaneous fear instead the moment she saw the ring. The princess felt the heat rising up in her cheeks and up to her eyes, but she managed to keep her calm before saying anything else. She hadn't expected Jade would do it willingly, much less did she know he already had a ring in his pocket. Her eyes drifted on the ring's small details, the diamonds almost looked like snowflakes adorning the large, translucent stone that glimmered in between the silver ring.

"I… I shall consider your kind offering, General Curtiss." Natalia stuttered as she tried to follow the formal protocol. She placed the ring back on Jade's palm and closed his fingers over it with care.

King Ingobert watched the scene with a smile still plastered on his face and proceeded to follow the protocol as well when Jade had to ask for Natalia's hand to him. He couldn't hide his glee: even if it had dragged on for so long, the matter on Natalia's marriage was going to be finally over, and it'd bring great developement and joy to his kingdom. Somehow, he knew already what was going to be the outcome of this whole situation. He could only wait he would be able to kill two birds with one stone. 


	3. Tip of the Iceberg

"Are you sure you're making the right decision, Natalia?"

"I still have some questions to ask. But I believe I've got an answer ready, if everything goes right." Tear glanced away from the princess shaking her head and looking into the Albiore's crystalline window. The seas surrounding Yulia city were calm and darkened by the night sky, they reflected the glimmer of the moon and the stars. From afar, the city's main tower became visible, and the outer barrier structure started to grow as they drew closer to the island.

"You can ask for more time… this is not something that you want to rush."

"I've been dragging it for almost four years, Tear… I actually need to stop staggering it so much."

"But you don't sound happy about it." Anise interrupted as she walked across the middle hall of the plane's deck, where the other girls were seated.

"Of course I don't. I mean, if you were in my situation, would you be happy? But it's necessary… and it can't be so bad. It's not like we have to actually like each other that much and fall in love for this to work, it's politics and diplomatic relations that are at stake, not personal feelings, after all."

She only believed half of the things that came out of her mouth. She sounded resolved and confident of her role as the future ruler of Kimlasca, but she couldn't help but feel she was sacrificing more than she'd bargained a month ago. She'd looked out for other options, for a way to escape this fate that bound her to commit to a man, to a crown and a kingdom and its people.

"You know, you can always… forfeit." Anise's voice was almost inaudible, afraid of Natalia's reaction at her suggestion.

"I won't do that. I have a compromise with Kimlasca, both the townspeople and the noble houses trust and believe in me, as much as they have confidence in the decisions I'll take as their ruler. If I run away from a simple decision like this, I'd have betrayed their trust." Natalia answered with conviction in her words.

She was resolved in that, at least. However, at the present moment she wanted to take Anise's word and tell Noelle to do a u-turn and fly away from Yulia City. She felt her body grow numb as cold sweat ran down her spine. Her hands and knees trembled slightly, as her right leg bounced up and down as a sign of anxiety. She could feel her stomach knotting around and a headache start to form on her temple, but she kept a cold and almost resigned gesture on her face.

"It's your decision, Nat… I just hope you're not making a mistake."

"Girls, we're landing in five minutes. Fasten your seatbelts, please." Noelle said with a low voice, as if she was trying to call the least attention possible so that Natalia would not waver in her decision. _Even our pilot sounds concerned for me_. _Great._ The princess thought and grunted and did as Noelle said.

The conference room in Yulia City was filled with military personnel from both countries and the neutral nations, but the meeting had not started yet. Emperor Peony wasn't there yet, neither was Jade. Natalia's father was in the back of the room, talking with Teodoro and Duke Fabre. Luke and Guy had arrived some days earlier than the girls, who were the first to meet them.

"Uncle told me you have an important announcement, Natalia, is that true? What is it about?" Luke asked, cheerfuly.

"Didn't you know? Jeez, you and Tear are supposed to be dating, didn't you know she accompanied Natalia on her trip to interview her former suitors?" Anise called Luke out, making Tear blush widely at the implications.

"W-we're not dating! We just travel together and she watches over me and…"

"You're dating." Guy interrupted, patting him on the back. Tear's face was burning a deep shade of red, unable to come back with an angry answer. "Stop pushing the situation around, you're dating."

"Whatever! I… I knew Tear went with Natalia on official business for Kimlasca, but I didn't ask what was it about." Luke shrugged, glancing at Tear who was unable to keep eye-contact at the moment. "By the way, where's Jade? He's supposed to come, isn't he?"

The whole group fell into silence. As it seemed, Luke was the only one who didn't know. He, however, noticed the mood had suddenly changed. Natalia shook her head and answered with a cold tone.

"He HAS to come. I suppose he's late."

"That's weird. The old man is usually very punctual." Guy questioned, giving a quick glance towards the door. He saw Noelle's silhouette from afar and dashed to greet her with eagerness.

Natalia turned her back to Luke and walked a few steps away from him. He acknowledged his cousin was acting strange, but he never connected the dots. He just assumed it was because of the engagement announcement that the princess had a foul mood that evening. He would have never suspected it was because of Jade.

The attendants started to take their seats around the oval table. King Ingobert sat besides Teodoro, but Emperor Peony's seat remained empty. Anise and Tear sat together on the back, watching as intermediate parties, while Luke and Guy sat in front of each other, the former on Kimlasca's side and the later on Malkuth's. Just as Natalia was moving her chair to take a seat, the room's door flew open and Peony entered, flamboyantly walking in as if he'd not arrived one minute late. In fact, he was just in time to the accorded hour they'd settled.

"It's good to see you all again, everyone." Natalia's eyes drifted to the door. The guards were closing it and no one had trailed behind Peony. Before she could even articulate her question, Peony answered with a smile: "Jade's in the archives below the stairs. He has requested some minutes with Princess Natalia, as he's received a memo from Her Majesty herself earlier this week." He winked an eye at her, and took out a yellow folder and placed it over the table. It had notes on it, and Natalia recognized Jade's impeccable handwriting on it. "He excuses himself for arriving late to the meeting, but he insists it's of utmost importance that he tends this matter with Her Majesty. For the time being, I shall examine the points General Curtiss assumes are essential for our current situation."

Natalia turned around to face her father. He gave out a simple nod, granting her permission to leave. She knew she'd to make this quick, if she wanted to voice her opinions during the conference. She glanced at Tear, who tilted her head slightly in agreement and followed Natalia outside of the room. As they made their way out, she could glance from the corner of her eye the sudden realization dawning on Luke's face. Her cousin's surprised expression was accompanied by a hushed "you don't mean…?" he hoarsely asked to Guy. Natalia didn't hear the answer.

The door to the archives below the conference chamber was slightly open. Natalia pushed it and stepped inside, to find Jade standing with his back towards her. He was looking through the large window towards the sea and the night sky. Natalia froze on her steps until Tear gave her a small push on the back, forcing her to react and walk into the room a little louder than she'd expected. Jade turned around, unsurprised. He'd already listened the door creaking open when they first entered.

"Good evening, Your Highness. Tear, good to see you."

"Hello, Col… I'm sorry. Hello, General." She corrected herself half through.

Natalia didn't greet back. In fact, she couldn't feel her voice coming out of her mouth at all. She had a bothered expression on her face that both Jade and Tear took notice of it, but none said anything at all. She swallowed air a bit violently in order to recover her composure, and immediately walked towards one of the small side table that Jade had been using before their arrival.

"Let's make this quick, shall we? I'd rather be at the meeting."

"I can't agree with you more, Princess. I hope you have your questions on point."

Tear sat in silence, fidgeting nervously and looking back and forth between them. For around a minute, all they did was stare at each other with defiant looks, waiting for Natalia to start the questioning session.

"I've looked up into your archives in the military and your life in Keterburg, General. Would you mind telling us more about your family? We've got little information on that matter, other than your relation to Miss Nephry. There's almost no information before your inclusion to the Curtiss family."

"I see you're interested in my background before the past that's usually most known about me. I guess you already know all there is to know about the Curtiss family and the incidents with the birth of fomicry, am I wrong?"

"Indeed I do. But answer first, General. It's not polite to answer a question with another question, you know?"

"Fine…" He said as his smirk vanished and he let out a large sigh. "I was born in Keterburg on the year N.D. 1983, to Andromeda and Orpheus Balfour. My younger sister, Nephry, was born four years later, in N.D. 1987." Jade answered with a cold, monotone voice. "We were a close family, even if my unusual capabilities tended to make me drift away from them, mostly from Nephry. If you ask her she'll probably say I was the devil, or something between those lines. In fact, I was an adorable little kid with a big curiosity for fonic artes." Jade's tone turned fakely cheerful as she spoke, but soon it returned to its former stiffness.

"Why did you lose contact with them? Even if you joined the army, they were still your family."

"It trails back some years… I enrolled on Ms. Nebilim's class in 1992 along with my sister and Emperor Peony who resided in Keterburg at the time. After the unfortunate incidents that I accidentally provoked, I decided to join Malkuth's troops at the age of fourteen to keep myself away from home, therefore I lost most of the contact I had with my biological family the moment I was adopted by the Curtiss family." He explained, his gaze piercing at Natalia's eyes. "I still wrote home frequently, but the letters stopped for a time, which involved a severe accident I had during my time as a scientist for the army… when I was around your age, actually. After the incident, Emperor Peony ordered me to go back to Keterburg for some time, in which I learned my mother had a grave illness." Surprisingly, his voice took a slightly darker, gloomier ring. Natalia hadn't expected to hear Jade sounding vulnerable. "She died in peace in the year N.D. 2009, after battling her sickness for a year. She'd hoped Nephry would have wedded Peony, but my sister decided to break the engagement because of the Score's prediction on her marriage. My father died one year after my mother, and Nephry married Count Osbourne almost six years ago."

"I… I'm sorry to hear that, General, but … what happened to your parent's state? As I understand, the Balfour family held a place in Malkuth's lesser nobility."

"Indeed, our family married into the imperial family many decades ago, but nowadays we hold no direct relationship to any noble house, if you don't take in count my sister's recent marriage. As for their state, their fortune was split between Nephry and I. She used it for public works in Keterburg and I invested mine on Grand Chokmah's military headquarters and fomicry research. As for the old household in Keterburg, it's currently abandoned."

"I see." Natalia finished writting down some notes, amazed by her recent discoveries on her friend. If it hadn't been for something like this, Jade would've never spoken about it to any of them. She decided it was better to change the subject as soon as possible, before he became irresponsive. "What's your take on marriage, General?"

"I don't like it, and I like it less if it's arranged for mere economic reasons." He answered with a sincere smile. At least they had something in common. "However, given the case it's been used as a diplomatic method, marriages have been known to function as elemental traditions both in Kimlasca-Lanvaldear as in Malkuth. I don't disagree to the concept of strategical marriage."

"I expected no other answer coming from you, Jade."

"What can I say? Were you expecting me to admit I was hoping to be a family man, or something?"

"Absolutely not." Natalia snorted cockishly. Tear's eyes kept jumping from one to another, as she'd been paying close attention as she'd done with the previous interviews she'd helped Natalia with. "I have just one question left, General."

"Be my guest, Your Highness."

"Given the case I already know of your previous sins and the deeds you've done to redeem yourself, I'll skip the obvious problems and questions. However, I want to know…" Natalia took a deep breath, afraid her next question would put a lot more tension into the conversation. "If you were to find a proper, safe method to bring back someone from the dead, would you try it?"

Natalia's question seemed to have shaken Jade a little. He surely wasn't expecting such kind of an inquiry. He'd perhaps thought Natalia would have asked something about his current investigation with fomicry on living beings and replica research & development, but she gave a slight twist to the topic he hadn't expected.

"I… no. No, I wouldn't try it. At some other point in my life I'd have said I would, but right now I believe fomicry has many other possibilities and that there are things that are very much better left untouched." He tried to sound as composed as possible, but his eyes betrayed him. He was looking strangely open that evening. "So far, my own curiosity has only left despair in the world and created so much suffering for replicas and their originals. I do not wish for another of my selfish desires to hurt anyone again."

Natalia's eyes were open wide and blinked fast in disbelief. She had expected a quick answer from Jade, not a detailed, guilt-ridden explanation of why he'd hate himself if something like that happened ever again. She glanced at Tear, who looked just as amazed as she was.

"I… uhh… that's all, Jade, thanks a lot. "

"I shall wait for your response, Your Highness." His voice sounded serene, yet there was a slight undertone of sadness in his words. He left without saying anything else.

Tear gave out her point of view from what she perceived out of Jade's answers. He did care for his family, a fact that had worried Natalia when they didn't find out much information on what happened to them. He did show remorse for his actions involving Professor Nebilim, but it wasn't until years later that he understood the weight of his mistakes and tried to make amends for it. He cared a lot more than he showed for others, initially for Peony and Nephry, but she could also see he had worries involving replicas, originals, and the citizens of Malkuth in general.

"It will sound a bit corny but I think… I think he'd not be such a good suitor if he was around our age, you know?" Tear pointed out, just before going back into the conference. "It's the years of experience and reflecting over the mistakes from his past that had led him into such a mature vision of the situation. Otherwise you'd be taking as your suitor someone like…"

"… like Luke before Akzeriuth?"

"… yes."

They kept silence for a while, as they walked up stairs again. However, Tear stopped her before Natalia opened the door.

"There's something that's been bothering me, though."

"What is it?"

"Doesn't it seems to you he's hiding something? Well, not hiding, It's more like he's keeping something to himself. He sounded oddly saddened or conflicted earlier."

"Yes, but I think all of us would do under a situation like this."

"That's not it." Tear shook her head, peeking inside the room. "When you asked him on his take on marriage, his tone seemed off. Since then, mentioning his family brought his usual mocking attitude down... There's something bothering him about his past, and he's not talking. He's upset, far beyond the fact that he might get engaged to you."

"You think?"

"I'm almost sure."

"I… I'll ask him later. I think I have my answer. Thank you, Tear."

* * *

The conference had started no less than fifteen minutes before the girls returned into the room, but it didn't take much longer for it to finish. Each seated officer and nobleman and woman with a voice gave their point and signaled their opinion on the matter, each one exalting those details they deemed of vital importance for both countries to consider while signing the papers. After an hour or so, Peony and Ingobert signed the papers and each one of the involved members of the council placed their name on the document as well. As soon as it was signed, the people started to walk out of the room. Natalia remained on her place, as did her father, Peony and Jade. Teodoro looked doubtful to leave because of the sudden atmosphere of seriousness the four of them held, but he eventually walked away without asking any questions. She could see Anise from the corner of her eyes, pushing bot Luke and Guy outside of the room. Luke was asking Tear for an explanation in a very loud voice, but she didn't answer. Natalia could hear her steps until she reached behind her.

"Tear has been helping me for a while and she'd eventually become my bridesmaid when the day finally comes, I hope you don't mind she stays here with us."

"Absolutely not, Princess Natalia. Miss Grants, it's a delight to have you around." Peony said with a flirty tone which made the younger woman blush. Jade cleared his throat as a sign of complain, making the emperor shut up immediately before he could say anything else to embarrass Tear. "The question itself is, shall Jade and I stay in the room, Your Majesty? Or is this something you need to solve with your father?"

"I'd prefer if you listened. This concerns you, after all. "

"Then, you have our attention, Natalia."

The princess stood up from her seat and walked to the head of the table, where Tear's grandfather sat some minutes before. With shaking hands, she grabbed the back of the chair for support, as her knees were starting to fail her. She felt brittle, but she had to keep it to herself for the whole situation to work and be over soon. Both the King and Peony were looking at her with eagerness in their eyes, but Jade had closed his, and rested lightly against the back of the chair, as if he wasn't paying attention. He had his arms crossed over his chest, but Natalia could see one of his legs was bouncing slightly. He was nervous as well.

"I want to make this short." Natalia started, taking a deep breath. "I've made a decision, father. I must insist I don't rejoice on the idea of an arranged engagement, but as our original plan was frustrated by my fiancé's passing, I have no other option but to go along with the tradition." She paused, trying to calm the trembling of her arms. "After three years, I understood that I've been mourning Asch's memory and lingered onto it for too long, unable to think for my country's future and its people's well-being. I took this time I had asked of you to investigate on my suitors and analyze their possible roles as my companions on the throne of Kimlasca… it hasn't been easy, but I think I've made a wise decision."

Another pause for a breather. "So… I've decided to accept General Curtiss' and Emperor Peony's proposal." Peony's face had lightened up as much as Natalia's father's did. The princess raised a hand before any of them could say anything else.

"However, I have one condition."

"Ah, I knew it wouldn't be that easy." Peony exclaimed, but his face had a large smile he seemed unable to remove. "What is it that you request, Princess?"

"I won't let my marriage become a political movement so easily so that it gives Malkuth an upper hand against Kimlasca." She stated. "I know the main intent of this agreement is for our nations to benefit from one another, but Jade's position in Malkuth's army worries me." Jade opened his eyes for the first time since the small group had reunited after the meeting. "If he were just soldier, or perhaps if had he remained a colonel, I'd not be suspicious of this. But given the case Jade's been promoted, his rank makes me wonder if it's not a military intrusion into Kimlasca's nobility."

"Ouch, Your Highness is as sharp as a needle." Peony mocked.

"I didn't believe you distrusted me this much." Jade's tone was filled with sarcasm and a tint of humor. He'd remained with a serene expression in his face and closed his eyes again, without saying a word. Even when Natalia said she was to accept his proposal, he didn't even flinch. Perhaps he'd already set his mind to it.

"What Natalia is trying to say is that there might be ill intentions from other members of the army to seize control of Kimlasca's throne, from those of higher positions rather than from General Curtiss." Tear interrupted from the first time, making all eyes turn to observe her. Natalia had taken a seat on Teodoro's chair once she had announced her decision, and Tear was now standing right beside her.

"Exactly." Natalia nodded.

"You've not mentioned this suspicion to me before. I would have considered it and proposed some other option."

"I took notice of it while on our trip, father. I didn't want to point it out on a letter, either."

"You haven't mentioned your condition yet, Natalia." Jade reminded her with a rough voice.

"… right." Not only did the sudden use of her first name sounded harsh, Jade's eyes were staring firmly at her for the first time since the rest of the council left the room. Natalia was ashamed to admit she felt a bit intimidated by him at the moment. "I'd either want for General Curtiss to forfeit to his position, or for the peace treaty to be modified as Emperor Peony proposed, after a year has passed since the wedding. I ask for this last option to remain a secret between the people present in this room, of course."

"I'll not forfeit my position." Jade answered bluntly.

"Hold on, hold on!" Peony interrupted, cutting the tension growing steadily between Jade and Natalia. "What's the purpose of waiting a year to modify the treaty or making him forfeit?"

"Let me explain." Tear insisted. "When Natalia and General Curtiss marry, the agreement to wait will protect both parties from an armed strike from any of the countries. That means if for any reason either Natalia or Jade are threatened during this year by the opposite faction, the marriage would be considered 'annulled'. While this is not strictly true, since there has to exist a divorce paper for that, it allows the affected country to investigate further into the matter, thus, making it possible for either party to get the benefit of the doubt."

"Hmm, I see." Ingobert tilted his head slightly to the front, as his fingers rested on his chin. "In given case General Curtiss gave up his position, how would this affect the treaty?"

"If General Curtiss forfeited of his rank, any intrusion from Malkuth would not be related to him or the Emperor." Tear continued the explanation. "He'd be considered a target as well, giving Malkuth the benefit of the doubt since it'd be threatening one of its own citizens, rather than offering a high-ranking soldier as bait."

"I get your point now. Having this in consideration, what's your take, Jade?"

"I will not forfeit my rank, with all due respect. However, given the situation we're put into, I have to recognize Natalia's worries are not without a cause. For starters, the failed Coup d'état back at the time Your Majesty was sent to Keterburg is enough proof that our army can become tainted and follow its own ill ambitions."

"I believe waiting a year works fine." Natalia agreed, fixing her position to talk directly to her father. He nodded along as the Princess spoke. "For now, the yearly renewal of the contract has been working, it lets both nations revisit the past clausules and modify them if necessary. With this as a trial, we may create some sort of protocol to fortify the bonds between our nations without risk of provoking another meaningless war."

"Well… given the situation, if my partner doesn't have any other objection, let's make accords on a possible date to make arrangements on the wedding, a date for the ceremony in Kimlasca… and you better have a small service in Malkuth as well."

* * *

It all turned to chit-chat and flattery from one ruler to another after they had signed the accord. After half an hour in which Tear had been coordinating the signing of the papers, Teodoro had walked into the room and, as accorded between the group, Tear's grandfather was to be told about the whole situation before time. It didn't take long before the two rulers asked Natalia and Tear to leave, as they were to attend other business with Teodoro at the moment. Natalia had expected Jade would stay behind with Peony, but he stood up and walked outside the room with them.

"I suppose I'll catch up with Luke and Guy. I guess I'll have to explain some things to him, but promise me you'll give them the news once it's official… besides, I believe you two need to talk." Tear said a bit sheepishly. Before leaving, she told Natalia she'd be at her room if she wanted to talk some more before going to bed, in hopes it would help her clear her mind. She bid them farewell and walked outside the building, heading back to the inn where the others were staying.

"Let's go for a walk, shall we?" Jade insisted, going on ahead. Natalia followed right behind.

"So…"

"You knew the outcome of all this didn't you?" Jade asked, amused. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have asked Tear to stay in the room."

"Of course I did. I already had my answer some days ago, but I wanted to make sure of some things. You're too proud to admit you have your own ambitions, but you actually care a lot about your position. I like that."

Jade chuckled as he stepped into one of the building's balconies. When the miasma cleared out, many of the buildings in Yulia City were remodeled so that they'll be able to have spaces on the outside. The thin, metallic rail felt cold to the touch, as the evening was chilly and the cloudy sky seemed to promise it was going to rain later that night.

"Natalia, I must ask… you really didn't find other options?" His tone was almost accusing, as if he disapproved of the decision Natalia had to make.

"There were many options, but they weren't fit for the position. Tear pointed it out to me earlier, you're the only one able to pull it off because you're experienced and mature enough to take it seriously. If you don't want to do it, say it now before it's too late."

"Of course I don't want to do it. I've told you, marriage is a troublesome topic for me, not to say it's a tradition I consider obsolete. However, we've both been over this several times, it's a good strategical move. We both live to serve our countries, we might as well do it right."

"Yes but… you know all of the implications this brings, don't you? Besides, what was the point of making a world free of the Score and a predestined fate if all we're going to do is live for other people? What about our feelings, our beliefs, and…?"

"Oh~? So you're telling me there's an underlying reason for which you've been avoiding your engagement? An impossible romance, or an unrequited love, perhaps? Maybe it's a secret lover... My, my, and I thought of you as a very committed and serious woman. Never would I've had imagined you'd stray from the line of duty."

"Stop teasing me, of course not! You… you actually know what's stalling me, don't act like you don't. Believe me, if I had any other option, I'd not be picking you, of all people."

"I am greatly offended" He did a fake pouting gesture, which vanished almost immediately "However… it shows you've actually grown from that awfully arrogant, snooty child I met some years ago."

"You're so obnoxious when you wish to be…"

"I'll take it as a compliment, _dear~_ "His smile almost made Natalia want to punch him in the face. She knew his teasing was just starting. If it came to forcing Jade into doing something he didn't want to do, he'd retaliate with sassiness, bitter jokes and black humor.

"Are you sure you can handle the pressure, Jade? It's more than likely my father will start spreading the news in a few minutes."

"I can manage, don't worry. I'm a grownup, it should be you, young lady, who should be worried about being ridiculed for marrying an old man like me... Ah, that reminds me!" He stuck his hands into his pockets, looking for something. After a few seconds, Jade handled Natalia a small box. "You know what's inside of it, use it if you want… and please take care of it."

"...may I ask why is it so important? You don't seem to be pretty fond of jewelry."

Jade doubted for a couple of seconds before answering. He closed his eyes briefly and turned his face around, to avoid Natalia's piercing green eyes. "It belonged to my mother. Peony gave it back to me, I had originally intended he kept it after Nephry broke off the engagement, as a memento of some sort."

"Oh… I see. Is it really alright for me to keep it?"

Jade nodded but he didn't say anything else. As confident as Natalia felt around him, she couldn't help but feel awkward at the moment. She decided it was better to keep it inside its box until the engagement was made public, but she'd keep it on herself at all times. Some time passed in silence, and Jade eventually insisted in taking her to her room at the Inn himself before it got darker outside. Natalia laughed and insisted it was an oddly kind gesture coming from him, to be worried about her safety at night. Jade brushed the situation off with a sarcastic remark and insisted on walking her back immediately. They were sure they were going to meet earlier next morning, and Natalia had to admit she needed more time for sleep than any other day.

Natalia entered the inn with the box clasped against her chest after bidding an awkward farewell to the Necromancer, and curiosity forced her to examine the ring closer, while nobody was watching. In the hall, where she could hear Anise and Noelle's talking, she stopped to look at the piece of jewelry for a brief second. It was truly beautiful… she pondered if she was cut to be the new and rightful bearer of such an important object. Natalia hid the box within her robes and bid her friends good night as she pondered if she should go talk to her friends or if she should go to bed, hoping to get a long night of sleep. Once the news were made official, she knew it was going to be a long, tiring day.


	4. Death of Winter

The girls had gathered in Natalia's room after the meeting, once the Princess' stroll with her future husband was over. As she made her way inside her room, she was stopped by the girls in the hall and insisted in gettign together for a talk. It was Tear's idea to try cheering Natalia up after the events that had just happened, but, in fact, they were not helping much, and Tear wasn't with them at the moment. Anise kept on saying how much money she'd have gotten if she were to marry into either Kimlasca or Malkuth, and how lucky Natalia was to have Jade as her fiancé, things of the sort that made Natalia regret her decision several times. Noelle tried to cheer her up, as she combed Anise's hair before going to bed. However, Noelle didn't know Jade as well as the princess or Anise did. Her encouragement was based on wishful thinking and hopes that Jade would change for her once they were married. Of course, that would never happen.

Tear hadn't returned from Luke and Guy's room on the upper floor. Most likely Luke had not been able to piece the whole picture together on his own until it was too late and Tear wanted to explain everything to him. However, she had to come back soon, as the younger woman had promised her she would spend some time talking about Natalia's current problem if she wanted to. Natalia had to admit she was still reluctant about her decision, and if she wanted to back down before anything else, she only had a couple of hours to eat her own words before it was made official the next morning.

"Tear sure is taking her time…" Anise muttered as Noelle combed the other half of her long, dark hair. "I bet she will be the next in line for a wedding. Make sure to throw the bouquet at her, Nat." She giggled, and Noelle did as well. Natalia rolled her eyes silently, and she believed none of them noticed her discomfort. "I believe you got really lucky, he may not seem like it but the General is a really good catch."

"You may say so now, Anise, but you're not the one who _is_ actually marrying him, you know…?" Natalia finally let it out, a bit harsher than she expected. Anise noticed the princess' sudden aggressive tone, and answered back in the same way.

"It is you who've dragged this for too long and made it worse for yourself! You might say you're against the idea, but between all suitors you had, you decided to pick the General. You made the conscious decision on your own… I know that behind all reasons you might have told your father or Emperor Peony, you actually have many motives to pick Jade as your fiancé." She had grown to be really witty and attentive to detail. From the love-stricken child she once knew, Anise had mastered the art of reading people, in order to use it to her convenience. Of course, even if Natalia hated when she did that, she could not say Anise wasn't right. "So stop lying to yourself, Nat, and enjoy the ride. Sure, Jade is a cold-hearted, double-faced, sarcastic, bitter old man, but who says you can't grow to stand and like each other?"

"I… I wish you were right, you know? it's too soon to say he will... I mean, my father hasn't even outspoken about it, it's not even official yet."

"It doesn't matter, it was you who made the choice…"

Anise proceeded to change the subject several times, exited by the fact she was finally going to attend a royal wedding, or how she imagined the Princess would look wearing the traditional crimson dress. Natalia sighed and turned her chair around so that she'd be facing the mirror behind her back. She could still see the other two girls from their reflection on the crystal, but they could not see her tired expression directly. She hoped Tear would be back soon, at least she had an objective point of view about the situation, instead of Anise's childish blabbering. Natalia pressed the small ring box against her chest, hoping in secret that Noelle's good wishes turned out to be true. She knew better, nonetheless. Jade would never change. If there was something in this world that would make him less obnoxious, it surely wasn't Natalia.

She had hoped talking with Anise would help, but it actually made things worse. During all these years, Tear had proven herself to be a perfect confidant for all her troubles, perhaps because she was very mature for her age. Sometimes Natalia even believed she was more of a grown-up than herself, depending on the situation. Tonight was one of those, in which Tear's cold, but sensitive perspective would be able to cool her head off after all the stress from the conference and little miss Tatlin's insistence of having good faith on Jade.

Natalia kept waiting in silence for another good twenty minutes, as Anise hummed a cheerful song while Noelle fixed her hair in long braids. That was until they heard footsteps coming from the hallway. They all assumed it must have been Tear coming back from the guys' room, which made Natalia turn her chair around once again, expecting to see Tear opening the door and excusing herself for the delay. However, that wasn't the case. A loud bang on the door startled them, making Natalia jump from her seat. The wooden door flung open and Luke stormed into the room. His eyes were burning, as if he'd been trying to repress some tears. He walked aggressively towards Natalia, giving long steps that stomped against the tiled floor.

"How! How could you do that, Natalia?! Most importanly, why?!" He screamed with a voice that sounded rougher and lower than usual. Natalia's eyes widened, watering immediately. She was so startled by the sudden aggression to even react that she remained silent while he yelled at her. "Tear told me everything, how could you do this?! What the hell is wrong with you?! You and I had a promise!"

Tear and Guy stormed into the room, trying to pull Luke away from Natalia. He hadn't even touched her, but he kept leaning towards the chair, pinning her to the cushion. Guy screamed several insults at Luke, as he tried to pull him away. Luke shoved him off and continued.

"What is this even supposed to mean?! You are marrying THAT asshole?! You think Malkuth is going to keep their promise?! They're making him infiltrate so that they can keep Kimlasca under their control! How can you even trust him?! I thought you were smarter than this! How can you be such an…?!"

"Luke!" Tear screamed, trying to stop him. He ignored her call and turned around to face her briefly with hatred in his eyes.

"SHUT UP!"

"LUKE!" Tear shouted again, this time pulling from his arm. He pushed her hard enough to make her fall back and hit the ground. She heard both Anise and Noelle's gasps as they rushed to help Tear back to her feet. They'd remained still as the scene happened before their eyes, just as the Princess did. Everything started so fast none of them knew how to react to Luke's tantrum. He seemed lost for words, unable to find in which other way to insult her for being so stupid. Then, he recurred to something the Luke she knew would never do: he raised a hand, as if he was about to slap her.

"... ASCH!" Natalia screamed before he managed to do anything, and the red-headed man stopped cold on his tracks, his hand still lingering in the air. The commotion was finally over. However, the call- out and the princess's startled voice weren't the only things that made the young Fon Fabre stop. A lance was pointing directly at his neck and the Necromancer walked up slowly, with a steady grip on his weapon, to make him back off. Natalia hadn't noticed when he entered the room, and for the look on everyone's faces, it seemed nobody else did. Anise and Noelle were still helping Tear up, who seemed on the verge of tears, while Guy wrestled with the red haired man to push him away from Natalia. The princess was in such a shock she'd not noticed Jade enter the room quickly, and in two swift steps he had summoned his lance and had pointed it at Luke's neck, making him fall back from both Guy and Natalia.

"My, my, Viscount Fon Fabre. I'll have to ask you to get away from the Princess. Now." He ordered with a menacing voice. Each step he gave forced Luke to give one step back, until he was some considerable distance away from Natalia. The girl was crying, scared, while Tear tried to console her after getting up from the ground with Anise and Giselle's help. "Guy, would you mind to help me escort him outside the room, please?"

Guy nodded and grappled Luke by the shoulders, pushing him outside. The four girls backed off as Jade kept a serene, yet stern look on his face, but assured them he'd make the young Fon Fabre come back to his senses, and that he'd be back later to check on them. Natalia watched as he withdrew his weapon and he turned around with a concerned look on his eyes, which stared back at her. She froze for a second, as she felt a blush creep up to her cheeks. She didn't know why, but this side of him usually made her really uneasy. However, for the first time in years, that uneasiness came to her for different reasons. For instance, he'd never actually protected her from anything. This was the first time he'd actually shown concern for her in particular and not the whole party as it usually happened before. Was he actually acting… different?

Guy closed the door after the three of them were outside. Natalia's loud sobs could be heard from the inside as well as Anise's confused voice and Tear's angry complains. As soon as they were out of the girls' line of sight, Guy punched his friend on the face without any restraint.

"OUCH! W-why would you do that?!" His voice had come back to a lighter, high-pitched tone.

"Please don't hurt master!" Mieu's voice came out of the blue, as the small cheagle floated towards them from the hall.

"Mieu, do me a favor. Ask Natalia's handmaid to bring her some tea. I think her name is Giselle, she should be with King Ingobert's servants right now. Keep her company after you're done, please. Guy, could you create a distraction so that the other members of the council don't suspect my prolonged absence and the commotion coming from this floor. Please, don't involve Emperor Peony."

"On it..."

Jade withdrew his spear and pulled Luke to walk with a tug from his collar. Luke complained and stuttered the beginning of a protest, but shut up immediately when he noticed the older man's furious expression. Something he'd done unconsciously had made Jade get angry and that was never a good sign. For instance, he didn't seem to be doing pretty well in keeping his calm. The last time he remembered watching Jade this bothered was when Dist stole the data from Professor Nebilim's replica. As soon as he noticed he had screwed up badly, he stopped complaining and subdued to the pressure of Jade's intimidatory stance.

"Now, Luke… would you like joining me for a walk around the inn?" Pulling him from the neck, Jade started to walk not caring for Luke's complain on his strong grip, which was almost making him run out of air. "You sounded really angry at Natalia." Jade pulled him closer, which made Luke feel smaller and nimbler than usual. "One could almost say you were jealous."

"I am not jealous!" Luke answered, trying to gather some air, but Jade's grip tightened. "Stop treating me like a criminal, I didn't do anything!" Jade fixed his glasses but kept a straight, menacing look over the young swordsman. "I… I swear it wasn't my intention, I don't know what happened to me. I-I'm sorry Jade."

"Oh, I see. So you just stormed into your friend's room and called her an idiot, not to mention you flagged me as a traitor and you told your current girlfriend to shut up and pushed her to the ground. Ah, it also seemed you were about to hit her when I walked to the room. It must have all been my imagination, I'm sorry." He made sure to make his words as hurtful as possible, but he let go of his neck. "I'm glad Natalia broke her engagement to you. If these… outrages of yours are frequent, I'd not like to see her suffer from them every day".

"Hey! I told you I snapped and that I'm sorry it happened! I… I didn't mean to get angry like that. Of course I'm bothered by the idea that Natalia has to marry someone like YOU, but that's because… well… it's you. In the end it's her decision, she can do whatever she wants!" Luke tried to defend himself, but he was obviously bothered by Jade's stare. He kept dodging crossing eyes with him as much as he could, but he'd be often unable to avoid doing so. "I don't know, I guess I wasn't being myself…" His last words sounded doubtful.

"Does that happens often?" Jade's tone changed to a softer, concerned voice. Through all the conflict, he recognized Luke wasn't acting like himself, but somebody else that Jade and the others were pretty familiar with.

"When it involves certain topics and my mood tends to swing towards anger." Luke admitted, covering his face with his hands. "It hadn't happened in a long, long time..."

"It'd be best if you eventually told me everything" Jade said to the red haired man. "After all, we still don't know for sure what happened that day in Eldrant. It'd be best to keep on checking on you if our suspicions from before were true."

Luke sighed. He knew he should turn back and apologize to Natalia and Tear as soon as possible and ask Guy for another punch in the face. It was getting swollen, but at least he knew he deserved it. Jade wasn't as furious as before, but it made Luke wonder what made him snap back like that. He'd rarely point out his spear at an enemy if it wasn't necessary, much less to a former ally. Even weirder was the fact that he didn't use brute force like Guy did to make him calm down, but he decided it was better to stand as menacing and imposing as possible to make his point clear. For a moment, Luke started to think if Jade had any ulterior reason to threaten him like that.

"Even if they're true… just remember that you're your own. If perchance you two are sharing the same body, or your memories and identities are fluctuating within one person, you are still you."

"It's weird to see you give advice like that, you know? You actually sound like a kind person!"

"What a bother! I have to get meaner to people or I'll start to lose my touch".

"I bet your beloved fiancée would said you aren't that bad of a catch, huh?" Luke laughed. Then something quite unnerving came to his mind. Was that the reason Jade became so angry that this 'Asch persona' popped out? He understood Natalia's reason to agree to the marriage, but why would Jade _actually_ say yes to all of this? "Or perhaps…" He'd risk everything to find out. "... perhaps you actually _like_ Natalia. I mean, why would you bother so much for her well-being if you keep insisting this is just an arrangement between Peony and my uncle?"

"You surely have a wild imagination, Luke" Jade avoided the topic with a cryptic smile. However, Luke was sure he saw a tint of red rising on the older man's face. "You said it yourself, this is an arranged marriage, I care for her just as much as necessary. If you were to harm her, however, I'd make each and every single day of yours a living hell. She might be my fiancée, but over all things, Natalia is my friend. If you were to harm her, I'd make you regret you were ever born, you know? She deserves better, better than you and me." Evidently, he didn't mean to say that to Luke. He muttered those words in hope that, somewhere, Asch was actually listening, and he believed Luke understood he wasn't being rough to him directly. The Necromancer shrugged and kept on walking. Luke was sure that blush was still on his face even if he tried to shake it off with indifference and sarcasm.

Luke smiled to himself as Jade pressured his steps down the hall and changed the conversation topic. Surely he was worried about what happened and he owned a heartfelt apology to the girls, but right now, he could only think about gossiping about this strange reaction coming from the former Colonel with little Miss Anise. She'd surely have some juicy information to share as well.

* * *

There were three knocks at the door some minutes after the commotion was over. Anise and Noelle had left and Guy came asking some minutes later where they went. He asked if both Tear and Natalia were alright, and after receiving a positive answer, he left in a hurry. Mieu had floated inside the room sometime after Guy left, with Natalia's handmaid trailing behind him. She'd brought some tea and biscuits for them, apparently under Jade's request, Mieu explained with a loud, yet worried voice. And, while they were drinking the tea, there were three knocks at the door. Giselle opened it and Luke appeared behind it. His apology was short, but his voice was softer and full of regret. Natalia believed what he said, as he insisted for the fourth time he wasn't being himself. Tear didn't seem to notice the implications behind that, Natalia thought, but it sent a shiver down the Princess' spine.

It took some time to convince Luke it was alright, after all Natalia wasn't angry. If anything she was slightly scared, but she wouldn't admit to it. After a few minutes, Luke offered Tear to walk her back to her house, and Natalia insisted it was fine. In fact, she wanted to be alone for a while. She could talk about all of this with Tear during breakfast the next morning, when the things had cooled down and Luke wasn't around. They bid each other farewell and Tear promised to come first time in the morning. However, as they were leaving through the door, Jade appeared on the frame. His eyes looked tired, and he exchanged cryptic glances with Luke. Natalia didn't know what it was all about, but she didn't bother to ask either.

"Would you mind if I took some minutes of your time, Your Highness?" He said, before entering the room. "I know it's late and that it's not proper to intrude on a lady's bedroom at night, but I believe we have some matters to discuss. You may already be aware of it."

"Yes, I know. Giselle would you excuse us? We'll leave the door open, don't worry."

"Ah, d-don't mind, Milady. He's your fiancé after all. If you need anything, I'll be close by. Good evening, General Curtiss." She excused herself and left the room as fast as she could.

Jade walked in and left the door half closed. He sighed and let himself fall atop of the mattress besides Natalia. He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes with desperation. He turned around to face her, as he placed the lenses over his nose bridge once again.

"Are you sure you want to do this? After what just happened?" He asked. Natalia knew he was acting so strange because he had one hell of a problem in his hands he was unable to solve with mere logic and ordered reasoning.

"We're not sure of what _actually_ happened." She answered, unable to face him directly. Instead, she stared at his hands, which were clasped together over his knees. "Though I have to admit it wasn't Luke who came in and screamed at me. I think not only you and I noticed, but Luke did as well."

"He knows something is happening, yet, he doesn't know how or why is it occurring." Jade explained briefly what the young viscount had told him earlier, but it was evident neither of them had an answer to his condition. He had some of Asch's behavior, but he _wasn't_ Asch… was he? Jade admitted he had no idea, and it frustrated him not knowing where to begin. After all, the only one who knew what happened at Eldrant's fall was Luke. If only he remembered any of it.

"I hope we can find an answer soon. But… I want to make up my mind and let _him_ go. I… I know it's not good to linger on something… someone… who's no longer here."

"It amazes me how you're way more mature than I used to be at your age, you know? It took me several years and a near-death experience to even set my mind on that same purpose when… well, it happened."

"I'm not. I want to live my own life and I want to stop living if for somebody else's sake. For the past years I've been mourning his death… or his disappearance, however you'll have it. I've been living to be a widow who never married, it's so sad." She took a deep breath before continuing. It was obvious it pained her to hear all those words coming out of her own mouth. "Now that my father has started to push me into making a decision, it has also made me notice I need to move on. Not for me, but for my kingdom's sake. They need a queen, not a mourner."

"You could always ask Luke back into your original engagement." Jade insisted, though he was glad to hear she wanted to move on.

Natalia shook her head, insisting she didn't want to do that to him. He was Luke above all things. If somehow, Asch consciousness survived within his body, all that had happened since he reappeared, everything that happened that night, was Luke's struggle to take control of his own existence. If Natalia insisted on marrying him, she'd be denying him his right of living as Luke. Not to mention, she'd be unable to ever look at Tear's face ever again. If things had happened otherwise, she was sure Tear would have done the same for her.

"May I ask, Jade… why did you come to check on me?" She was curious.

"I have to admit I was worried." He said, turning his body slightly to her direction. "I heard the commotion from the other side of the hall and I thought it was best to stop him myself. Thankfully I did, or he might have done something he'd have regretted forever."

"No, I mean… what are you doing here, now?" Her former expression of worry and anguish had vanished, and now she exchanged him a curious look. Jade smirked and turned his face slightly.

"I told you I was worried. For all that happened, you might have actually gotten cold feet, or you might have done something stupid. It reassures me to hear you say you're trying to move on, actually." Natalia knew there was something bothering him. It wasn't the fact that Luke had almost made a scene, but something about Asch's lingering memory.

"I never imagined both you and I would have so many things in common…" He began before Natalia could ever ask him what was wrong. "I know what it is to lose someone you admire. Someone you… love. And I know far better than you what it is to obsess with the dead and the idea of bringing them back from it. Natalia, do yourself a favor. Keep moving on. Stop thinking 'what if'. It'll not bring you any good."

"I know you're right." He had a concerned, yet serious expression on his face. However, there was also a hint of sadness Natalia was unable to shake off. She was surprised of such kind words coming from him. "You're being awfully nice for once, you know?"

"Isn't that how a man is supposed to treat his future wife?" There was a tint of irony in his voice, but otherwise it sounded genuine. Natalia was impressed. "Don't get used to it, though. I told you I'd drive you kids mad before I turned forty, but I certainly did not expect I'd have to marry one of you. You're still a bratty child who needs scolding once in a while… but I'll make sure to tone it down a bit. I don't want my future Queen to make my head roll."

"My, my, General Curtiss can also be kind and gentle, is there anything you cannot do?"

"You know the answer to that." He said, fixing his glasses. "But I appreciate the compliment, sarcasm included."

"I didn't… sorry." Natalia clasped the box between her fingers for some seconds, fidgeting with it beneath her robes.

"Don't be."

"May I… may I ask you something? When you said you lost someone you loved… I have a feeling you weren't only talking about Ms. Nebilim" Natalia turned around and faced him. Her question had shaken him slightly, not enough to break his composure, but just the right amount to make him frown and look away. His expression turned awfully somber when he spoke.

"I'd rather not talk about it now, if you don't mind. But you're right, Professor Nebilim wasn't the only one. I suppose I'll tell you when the time comes." Natalia hadn't expected an answer, perhaps a joke to avoid the topic or a dismissive phrase that pointed out the princess's annoying meddling.

"Jade, I know I'm probably being annoying with all these questions, but… can I ask you for a favor? It's sort of strange, but..." She asked, changing the subject abruptly. She wanted to thank him for his patience and his willingness to talk about everything in some time, but she had a strange feeling on her chest she couldn't ignore any longer. Jade nodded, intrigued by her sudden change of behavior. "Could you... could you hug me?"

"Why?" He didn't blalantly deny her, but her petition was confusing. Natalia  knew Jade loathed being close to other human beings and she wasn't much into physical contact herself, but she asked anyway.

"I'm... sort of scared for what happened earlier." She curled her legs against her chest, closing her eyes in desperation. "Usually I go to my father or Luke for help and they usually hug me without asking but... I promised him I wouldn't tell him or Uncle about this yet. And since he's the one who did it, I..."

Without saying anything else, Jade placed an arm around her shoulder and dragged her closer to him. In silence, he listened to her whimper against the crook of his neck, scared. He understood how it felt to keep it all locked up inside, to make yourself look and feel stronger in front of everyone else. That's what all of them expected of her, a strong princess who didn't falter to her composure. Yet, being screamed at and menaced is not something to take lightly. Mostly if the person doing the shouting had the same face as the person she loved the most. It was better if he kept his mouth shut and let her take it all out with him, rather than telling her to suck it up and stop crying.

Unexpectedly, he cupped her chin with his fingers, making Natalia turn her head upwards to face him. Startled, she stopped her crying with a surprised moan, unsure of what was happening and what to do next. Jade's eyes were inquiring, yet compassionate and comprehensive, as if he was trying to do a medical examination on her that would cure her pain. She didn't know why he did that, but the intensity of his gaze made her feel incredibly nervous. Her eyes danced down to his lips to avoid eye contact for a second, and then trailed back into his red irises, which glistened behind his glasses. For unbeknown reasons to her, she felt the heat rise up her cheeks as she thought what would it feel to kiss him. Somehow, Jade was thinking the same thing at the exact same moment. She looked beautiful even if she was crying, and it made him wonder when and why had she become such an interesting person out of the sudden. What had happened beyond the engagement that had made him think of Natalia as a woman, rather than a child? Was it the fact that both of them had suffered through mourning and obsession that both were damaged enough to agree to something like an engagement?

He didn't know why he had actually done that. At first he was simply craddling her to help the princess calm down, but then his body seemed to move on its own and he grabbed her face and forced her to look up to him. Jade pondered as his other hand rested on his lap, twitching slightly and craving to feel the smooth skin of her neck. Would it feel good to kiss her? Would she resist? Was that her body leaning slightly towards him or was it just a hallucination created from this sudden urge to touch her? It was as if she was an interesting specimen for an experiment, he couldn't help but inquire on the reasons she was piquing his interest so much. Doubtful yet curious, Natalia kept leaning forward, curving her back slightly to level her weight on the mattress without tripping onto him. Jade's hands moved away from his leg and carefully placed themselves over her shoulders. As the Princess's fingers started to trail into his chest, Jade's moved slightly over the curve of her neck. The closer he got, the warmer her breath felt against his lips.

They were just some inches apart from giving into a kiss born out of curiosity, none of them were able where it was coming from. Perhaps he was being compassionate with a poor, broken and innocent child who've had all of her hopes shattered in front of her time after time. Perhaps she was left vulnerable and oversensitive after being screamed at and insulted by her childhood friend and former fiancé, who shared the face of her first love. Neither of them could deny they were craving affection. It had been ages since Jade had held a person, not to say a woman, this close. He couldn't remember when was the last time he'd felt another human body with the urge to protect it, to cherish it. It had been almost four years since Natalia had been so intimate with another person, it had been so long since someone had cared this much to touch her.

She never believed she'd ever be held with such affection, it almost seemed like it wasn't happening and it was just one strange dream. Perhaps there was an underlying affection between the two of them, or even an attraction that had gone unnoticed until then. Whatever the answer, it was happening: he was holding her, cradling her against his chest as Natalia clung onto his arms and leaned closer and closer, each time their lips were being drawn into each other's'.

Just as she felt the tingling of his breath on her skin, there was a loud knock at the door. The person behind it didn't even let them move away from each other. Emperor Peony opened the door with a slam, as he entered with eagerness into the Princess' room. He stopped dead on his tracks when he noticed what was happening right in front of him. However, he didn't blush or turn around excusing himself, but he grinned and laughed loudly.

"I had no idea where you went! I didn't imagine you'd be here like THIS!" he said, still cackling at the top of his voice. "I went back to the room and didn't find you there, I was asking around the rooms if someone had seen you and Guy told me the Princess might have known where you went… I didn't imagine you'd have gone so far on the first day of your engagement!"

"... this isn't what it seems." Natalia muttered, managing to move away quickly.

"Oh no, Your Majesty, is exactly as it seems! Don't worry, I won't tell your father… not that he'd care. The sooner you give him grandkids, the happier he'll be."

"I let my guard down, I didn't hear you coming into the room." Jade admitted defeat. It only provoked another laugh from Peony.

"No, no, that's fine, I'll leave you to it! Enjoy yourselves! Next time close the door completely, I'll do that for you now. And please, Jade, don't come back to our room tonight. I think Princess Natalia would appreciate your presence more than I ever will." He left, backing away from the door, and they managed to hear his laughter from across the hall for a few minutes of awkward silence.

"I… I better go back before he keeps his words." Jade said, noticing Peony might leave him locked outside if he didn't hurry.

"Y-yes… I'll talk to you by the morning. Please… stop him from gossiping about this." Natalia begged as Jade stood up from the mattress and quickly left the room with a worried look on his face. Even if the Princess was worried about almost being caught up red-handed by the Emperor himself, she was more anxious about the fact that she'd almost kissed Jade out of her own volition. She didn't know why, but she actually wished they'd not been interrupted at all.


	5. Silver Linings

Natalia drank the last drops of tea from her cup as her handmaid brushed her hair with care, avoiding to pull it too much. The full moon brightened the room and the sky was covered with a mantle of stars that forced her to sleep with the curtains closed. The current month of the year brought strong currents of wind during the evenings, which kept the skies clear and uncloudy every night. From her room at the Inn, she could watch the boats drifting into the sea, from Yulia City and beyond. She sighed with exasperation, as Giselle finished her assignment and proceeded to remove the empty tray from the tea table and close the curtains. The maid excused herself and asked Natalia if she wanted anything else before going to bed. To the princess's refusal, the maid gave her a pronounced reverence and wished her good night, exiting the room.

Earlier that morning, her father made the official announcement about her engagement and the current situation of diplomatic measures between Kimlasca and Malkuth. Of course, the news were received with mixed opinions, and Natalia couldn't avoid listening to the complaints, mockery, and fake adulation coming from numerous politicians, military officers and a couple of members of the court that were invited to the summit. She had to attend another meeting, this time focused solely on the engagement, that turned around the topic of mutual cooperation between the two countries. Many projects were proposed, as well as many threats and insults were heard between both parties. Natalia listened but paid little attention to the whole matter. She glanced towards Jade's direction from once in a while, who stood beside Peony the whole meeting. To her surprise he was as distracted and idle as she was.

However, her attention was called whenever it came to direct questioning about her decisions and her approval on the new construction ideas that would benefit both nations. Natalia wouldn't say it in front of all the attendants from the summit, but she couldn't care less about how each one of them wanted to gain personal benefit from all that. She wanted to travel both into her country's land and into Malkuth's territory, to see the changes in both nations occur before her eyes, but she was well aware on her social role as the future leader of one of the parties. Making one of those greedy nobles furious could break into an inner conflict, even a civil war in the future, and she had the responsibility to avoid problems from happening, so the princess listened to each and every one of them. Of course, treating and talking to these kind of people was mentally and physically tiring, as they required all of her attention span and sucked dry all of her energy by the end of the meeting.

That evening, however, the abundant commentary on the current rumors that ran across the court made Natalia's blood pump with anger. It all started when Dutchess Lydian Gwynham decided to open up her mouth and speak her mind about her distant cousin's relationship with General Curtiss, right after the meeting was over. The duchess was never of Natalia's liking, exactly because of her constant bad habit of gossiping and lying to get her way. It was evident that Lydian didn't like Natalia as well, but the Princess' status made her pretend she did. Of course, she was more than happy to inform Natalia of the news everyone was talking behind her back for the past hours. For so many reasons, including years of knowing of Lydian's schemes, Natalia was almost sure the rumors had started because of her.

"Is it true, then?" The dutchess said, exaggerating her movements as she faked to be containing a couple of tears of joy. "Are the reasons your Highness accepted General Curtiss' proposal all true?!"

"I'd love to acknowledge or refuse said reasons if I knew which rumor you're talking about right now, dear cousin." Natalia said, trying to conceal her irritation. She knew where she was going with it anyway. "But as far as my knowledge takes me, I have no idea of what you're saying."

"Oh, come on, Princess Natalia! We all know you must have had an ulterior motive to accept his proposal. After all, he's way older than you and a formerly enemy soldier." Lydian's words were spoken as if they were filled with poison, in every attempt to insult Natalia with utmost discretion. "But rumor has it people have seen her Highness flee the castle during the nights in the past, mostly when General Curtiss was on a visit to Baticul. You ran to meet with him, don't you, Princess?"

"That's such an abrupt assumption from your part, Madame Gwynham. I do not wish to interrupt Jade while he's working and I certainly don't flee from my own room. Have you noticed it's on the fifth floor of a tower? I'd not be that stupid to jump through a window, nor to hide from my servants."

"That didn't stop your Majesty when she ran off with them during that trip five years ago. Word is that Milady ran off to be with Viscount Fon Fabre by that time, but she ended up falling for General Curtiss. Some even said you started frolicking around while on that trip and that… never mind. I think if the rumors were true, you wouldn't be able to hide a child from the public eyes even if you gave it away to a commoner."

"What are you implying?!" Natalia stood from her seat, clearly offended. "I'd never do such a thing!"

"Oh, but they said you did. You went to some many inns across the globe with the man who'd be your fiancé in a couple of years, a lot of people saw you… your engagement was really abrupt, you know?" Lydian's tone had lost all respect for Natalia's title. She was being blatantly offensive. "The court suspects your future marriage is nothing but a formality, as there _are_ pressing reasons pushing you to take that decision. My, what a sly, gaudy Princess." she said, glancing at Natalia's abdomen with disdain.

Before the conversation continued, Natalia stood up and left the tea room. If she wanted, she could have killed her right where she sat, but she decided to be the better person and leave before even slapping her for Lydian to shut up. Not only was she suspected of being already pregnant, but her cousin was accusing her of promiscuity and who knew what more ill rumors she had spread. Later at night, the words echoed inside Natalia's head and she was unable to get any rest earlier. She had asked Giselle for some tea with milk, but not even the warm beverage would soothe her anger. The Princess's trains of thoughts drifted to so many rumors her cousin could have spread in just some hours and what were the consequences of each scenario possible. She eventually grew tired and walked herself to bed, hoping that laying her head against the pillows would allow her to conceal sleep.

She wished she had someone to talk about this. This wasn't something recent or something new she had to deal with, quite on the contrary. Over the years, mostly since the truth about her birth surfaced, the couriers had been like a toxic cancer to her. Her father would often be busy or he'd brush the matters away immediately, insisting Natalia was only being oversensitive with the court's bad habits of gossip and greed. These rumors weren't the first and they wouldn't be the last. Then he'd proceed to exemplify with problems of his own experience and Natalia would stop listening as soon as he started. Tear wasn't always around, and she had no experience on dwelling with royals at all besides her friends.

For once, she really enjoyed the few minutes she was able to spend with Jade, as he'd often receive similar commentary from other men in the military, mostly because of his renown and his deeds when he was of younger age, and he'd shove them off with his usual blunt attitude. Every now and then, he'd suggest ways of twisting the conversation to the point that the rumor turned out to be completely different when the talk was over. At least in that way, she'd be able to control what was known about the situation. But they didn't have much time whenever he came to Baticul. He'd come for a cup of coffee at least once a month, but his visits stopped once he was promoted to his new rank. Natalia wondered if they'd ever have more time to spend together, or if their actual lives and jobs would push them away even if they were married. With that thought in mind, she drifted into an anxious dream, filled with anger and the multiple scenarios in which Lydian was able to dethrone her with her poisonous gossiping.

* * *

There was a loud noise and a flash of light that woke Natalia up. Her eyes flung open in fear when the noise repeated itself and was followed by a loud thud on the floor. In front of her, Jade stood with his lance in hand, giving his back to her. From her spot, Natalia couldn't see what was happening but she assumed there was someone lying on the ground wounded. Before she could speak, Jade tugged the covers from the bed and pulled her arm to make her stand up. In the motion, she noticed there was blood spilled on the floor and some smeared over Jade's clothes, still fresh. Not all of it came from the murdered person. Jade had been stuck on the side as well and there was a bloody dagger lying beside the corpse.

"You're hurt!"

"Don't worry about it for now. The building is under attack… an explosive device blew off on the lower floor some minutes ago, fortunately no one was nearby." He clenched his rib as he spoke, trying to stop the bleeding.

"It's deep, let me cure you." Natalia said almost ignoring the rest of the explanation. She was trying to reach him as she started to cast an incantation, but he stopped her by grabbing her hand.

"No. First let's find a place to hide, they're aiming to destroy the Inn." Jade repeated himself and pulled her out of the bed and placed his coat over her shoulders, as the night was growing colder.

"Who are they?!" She fastened the coat tightly and ran out of the room, with Jade following behind closely.

"I don't know. The assassin was dressed completely in black, they had no insignia. We have to get to your father's room, I already alerted the Emperor to move out and Guy has escorted him into the governor's house."

"We need to get you to Tear as well, I don't know if my fonic artes can heal you…" Natalia turned around on a corner, pulling Jade's arm so he'd follow her. She had noticed earlier that weekend there was an unused storeroom where the door was always unlocked. "There's a passage from the balcony to an emergency staircase to the second floor from each room. I suppose there's one on each floor and my father's on the fifth. I think it's better if we attend this matter ourselves without calling all of the guards. I've ordered them to protect the servants and my father in case of emergency some time before."

"Good call. I agree, let's keep going," He nodded and followed right behind her. They ran into the room and opened the window, climbing out into a balcony where the staircase was. They faced a couple of enemies as they made their way to the second floor. Jade was able to handle them on his own, as they weren't even close to his mastery of combat and magical knowledge. The assassin on Natalia's room was possibly the most skilled of them, and he must have caught Jade off guard for him to get stabbed in the rib. Natalia was worried he had gotten a pierced lung or that he'd started to get internal bleeding, but so far she could only help by not getting in the way.

They were about to reach the second staircase, after they found another unlocked room, when they were intercepted by a couple of enemies. They carried scepters instead of daggers or swords, and unfortunately they were blocking their only escape route. Jade stopped dead on his tracks and summoned the spear forth from his arm, signaling Natalia to back away from battle with it. Jade was a genius mage, he surely was able to take two small fry in one shot even if he was gravely wounded. However, he was worried they might get to Natalia before he finished casting, so he waited for them to make the first move. One of them started casting and Jade rushed to interrupt him before the spell was finished, and Natalia followed him closely. Nevertheless, that left an opening for the other mage to attack. As the Necromancer finished his partner, the other mage invoked a circle of fire beneath their feet. Out of instinct, both of them jumped away from danger and Jade chanted for the Blessed Drops incantation, turning off the fire immediately. He fixed his position and quickly whispered another spell, which summoned a bright sword made of lightning that burned the enemy to a crisp.

"That was a close one…" He muttered, turning around to face Natalia. His eyes didn't meet with her immediately, which made him panic for a second. As soon as he glanced down, he noticed her lying on the ground barefooted and with the edge of her robe burned. He hadn't noticed she'd ran out of the room without any shoes on, and that the magic circle had charred the base of her foot badly. She was unable to jump in time, and the enemy attack had scorched her feet. "I just can't take a break, can't I?" He added with a groan, as he leant down to face her and help her move before they were found out again.

"I-I'm sorry. I saw the flame ring later than I should and he got me." She was in severe pain and her eyes were clouding with tears, but she refused to let her voice break and start crying, as she'd start calling off the enemy's attention.

"Don't be sorry…", he started, but Natalia grunted and rolled her eyes.

"... focus on the battle. I know, I know."

"No, it was my responsibility to take you somewhere safe without you receiving any harm. I'm the one who should be sorry."

"I… I-it's fine. We're almost there, you just have to help me get to my father's. It's right above these stairs and right in the middle of the hallway. There are servants and my father's personal guards there, I'm sure they have medicine and weapons with them. We can borrow some on our way down."

"I just hope I don't bleed out by then." He wrapped his arms around her back and her legs, carrying her bridal-style in one swift movement. Natalia even let out a small cry of surprise as she held firmly onto his neck.

Jade rushed through the staircase, trying to be as stealthy as he could with Natalia's death weight on his arms. He pressed his back against the wall before rushing into the hall to reach the room, just to make sure there were no more assassins roaming the place. The girl's body, though not incredibly heavy, was slipping down because of gravity pulling down on her. He did another fluid motion to pull her back up, which made Natalia gasp. She noticed her face had gotten really close to his neck because of this, and she was able to smell a faint trace of cologne mixed with sweat and blood. She wondered how much had he fought the assassin before the noise was able to wake her up.

"None on sight… you have the spare key with you, right?"

"Here it is." She answered, pulling it out from her top undergarments. "Let's go."

The Necromancer ran without thinking twice, hoping they'd not encounter anyone in their current state. He could feel the wound opening every time he had to fix Natalia's position, and even more blood pouring out of it. Knowing it'd hurt her deeply to make her stand, he quickly but carefully placed her on the ground and rushed to push the door open. Natalia handled him the key, and he let himself inside immediately. He offered to carry her inside, but she pushed herself without his help and closed the door after they were both inside. As soon as Jade locked it again, he sat on the floor besides her, unable to hold on to the pain on his side anymore.

To their surprise, her father's room was empty. Natalia started to worry, there weren't even servants hiding on the closets, there weren't even wounded enemies, nor royal guards protecting the doors. In order to investigate around, she managed to push herself up and she walked slowly, avoiding to step on her heels as much as possible.

"The guards should be by your father's side." Jade insisted. He told her he believed Luke might have already evacuated them into the governor's house. Just as they walked inside the room, Natalia found a bow and a stash of arrows besides the mattress. There was a small note with Luke's calligraphy, which only read " _Thought you'd come, I believe you'd need this. Meet us at Teodoro's and be safe. LfF."_

"This is so odd." Natalia said as she held the note and folded it to keep it inside her clothes. "They managed to escape so easily, I believe the servants ran off with them…"

"It only proves my theory further." Jade said, pushing her shoulder slightly for her to get on the move. "They were only aiming to kill you."

"But why?" She stopped him, grabbing his wrist before he could exit the room.

"I have a possible answer, but I'd rather investigate first and ask questions later. It worries me that there are enemies left chasing after the servants and your father."

"Before we leave I have to patch you up. Take off your shirt, please"

"Cure yourself first."

"No, my feet are fine, I'm just in pain. Please, you can die if I don't heal you!"

"It's fi-"

"Do it, or I'll do it myself" She bossed out and reached out for the buttons on his collar, which surprised Jade quite a bit. He unbuttoned the shirt and took off just the side where he had been stabbed. The wound was large and the skin surrounding it was stained in red. Natalia placed her hands over the wound and casted the incantation for Cure, which made the wound close up immediately. It stung heavily, as if someone had applied alcohol atop of it. He hissed in pain, but the warmth her spell irradiated made it quite soothing. "You lost a lot of blood. My healing spells have weakened a lot since then... If I knew some of Tear's Hymns, I'd be able to leave you as good as new but-"

"This is more than enough. I need to eat and get some rest to be back to normal, but first, let's get you out of here."

"No, wait. We have to know what's happening. How did you find out there was someone in my room?"

"I didn't know. I rushed to see if you were fine." He said as he tried to clean the blood and closed his shirt back. Natalia looked worried, he must have been looking as pale as a corpse and tired as if he was about to faint from exhaustion. He would have if it weren't from her fonic artes. She casted another Cure spell, which removed the scorching and redness from her feet until they looked as usual, only dirtied from the burnt marks. She stood and grabbed a small knife, ripping the edge of her night clothes and tying her feet so that she'd be able to step without getting hurt.

"We need to regroup with the others… what happened then?"

"I was walking back to the room I've been staying, with a guard. We found a servant severely wounded in our way and I asked the guard to escort him and raise up the alarm while I pursued the intruder. I told him to wake Guy up and fetch for Peony… I assumed they'd try to reach the Emperor, or either you or your father, but since we were walking on your side of the Inn I decided to check on you first." He explained, taking his robe back and placing a defensive fonic arte over it in case they encountered more enemies. "I believe the guard managed to find Guy and they evacuated everyone from your wing, but I'm not sure about your father. I guess Luke was with them and he went to check on King Ingobert immediately. I believe they weren't aiming to kill anyone but you, though".

"They've never gotten this far..."

"What surprises me is the fact that the noise didn't wake you up, it was quite a ruckus."

"To all of this, why did the assassin stab you?" Natalia glanced at his chest, noticing the large stain of blood that was already running dry. "More importantly, how?"

"He was using throwing knives. I was shielding you, as you weren't waking up I was worried he might have already killed you. I tried to see if you were alright and he stabbed me."

"Oh… I-i'm sorry."

"No, don't be. Let's get moving if you're ready." Jade pulled himself from the ground with a loud, painful groan "Out of curiosity, did you drink something… odd? Perhaps they spiked your drink."

"No, only tea before bed and… coffee with one of my cousins."

"Oh my. Perhaps that cousin of yours isn't as happy as everyone else about that rumor that has been spreading lately."

"Which one of them all?" Natalia grunted out with disgust.

"Any moment you're to have an heir, the chance to get the crown will get further away from several people." Jade suggested as he opened the door for her to go by.

"So you've heard about those rumors too. Just so you know I haven't…"

"I know." He acknowledged, stopping her before she continued on through the hall so he could snoop around to see if there was any enemy standing in the way to the staircase. It was empty, so they ran to the lower floor where they came from some minutes after.

The way down was calm, and they had decided to go in silence, afraid they might run into enemies as they walked slowly across the halls. Jade was unable to move quickly because of the blood loss and Natalia had to help him walk around when they had to remain quiet and steady for more than a minute, as he' often tilt to the front as if he were about to fall over. However, they made it into the front of the Inn, right towards the reception and out into the street, which was just some meters away from the main plaza and the governor's house.

When they reached the main street, they found themselves faced by four enemies blocking the way to the back door of the house, hidden behind an alley. Two of them wielded staves, two of them had daggers pointed dangerously at them. All four were clad in dark clothes, their faces unrecognizable as they were covered by metallic masks. It immediately led Natalia to believe they were a hired organization of assassins, and that their group wasn't bigger than this and the ones they'd already eliminated.

"Stay back." She ordered the moment she noticed Jade was materializing his weapon. "You're in no shape to fight. If anything, cover me with magic."

"You can't take four of them while shielding me." He muttered, showing actual concern in his voice. "Just one of them managed to stab me, and one of their underlings burnt your feet."

"I can handle it if you avoid getting hit. Eliminate the mages quick."

"Fine. Natalia…"

"What is it?"

"If things turn for worst, escape. I'll hold them back."

"I… It's not going to happen, ok?" He didn't answer back, he just smiled at her with confidence. Natalia had already turned around when his smile vanished quickly and was replaced by a gesture of pain.

Natalia charged forward and aimed her bow for one of the dagger wielders. The group of assassins spread: the two mages ran to the back and started to cast, while the dagger wielders ran towards Jade to stop him from chanting. One of them, noticeably a woman, met a row of arrows that almost pierced her torso, but she blocked the attack with one forearm that had though leather as armor. Natalia turned around swiftly to shoot the two mages at quick speed, hitting one of them in the leg and stopping the other one from casting. Jade managed to summon forth three fireballs that hit the other dagger user, throwing him back to where Natalia stood. She guarded, as the assassin kicked and flung their knives towards her. The Princess jumped back a couple of steps to avoid getting hit and aimed quickly at the assassin's head. She pulled the bowstring, and one of her arrows broke the mask she was wearing, impacting against her face.

She shot again at the mages, aiming to damage as much as she could the one she hadn't struck before. Jade managed to cast spikes of ice that surged from the ground, impaling the remaining dagger wielder on the abdomen, but the attack itself didn't kill him. Natalia recognized the spell, it was one of those Forbidden Spells Jade had learned while on their trip, Absolute, she believed it was called. However, through those four years they'd not been together in combat, he had honed his skills to new levels that made him even more dangerous than before. The ice that grew from Jade's summoning circle started to crawl around the wound of the injured assassin, freezing his muscles until he was unable to move them. She could see a spark of sadism in Jade's eyes, as if he wished to let the cold spread towards his whole body until it collapsed into tiny shards of ice.

The two mages changed their strategy. The one that wasn't hurt tried to face Natalia directly, but he found itself overpowered by the princess' strikes that pierced some vital organs, killing him quickly. However, the last enemy managed to catch Natalia with her guard down, trapping her inside a strong gust of wind that sliced open her skin several times. Before she could even pronounce a complaint, she noticed a strange aura surround the mage. Rings of light and fonons trapped him inside a tridimensional magic circle that froze him in time. The only thing that ran through that sphere were strong wind currents that suspended the foe from the ground.

"O admonishing melody, arise in the name of the Necromancer!" Jade chanted, as he traced the shape of the sphere with his fingers, creating a miniature version of the prison over his right hand. "Mystic Cage!", he shouted and crushed the sphere. The cage where the other mage was trapped did the same, pulverizing him to smithereens.

Natalia panted as the circles of light vanished. She was thankful the wounds the spell left weren't deep, but they had started to sting and the pain was almost unbearable, because it covered large parts of her body. She had started to cast a healing circle on herself, but she was interrupted by an unknown attacker that came out of nowhere. The assassin seemed to jump out of her own shadow, pushing Natalia to the ground with his hand around the princess' neck. It was just to startle her and pin her to the ground, as he shoved a hand behind his leg and pulled out a set of knives. Natalia believed he'd stab her immediately, but the assassin threw them towards Jade's direction. Natalia didn't hear any pained expression from him, but she didn't hear anymore footsteps either. The assassin whispered something and the sound of thunder rumbled across the street. There were no screams or any sound at all coming from his direction.

She was unable to fight back. The pain from her previous wounds was too much to handle and the assassin was already doing enough pressure with his weight for her to be able to move forth and at least kick him. Her arrows were still on her quill, but her bow was some meters away from her. She tried to reach one to stab him, but was only met with the blade of a dagger right in front of her eyes. She saw poison stuck to the blade, shimmering slightly with the light from the streetlamp. The assassin rose the knife to strike Natalia on the chest, and she closed her eyes trying to avert her gaze from her destined doom. However, she heard a strong grunt coming from the enemy and she opened her eyes immediately. Jade's spear had pierced the assassin's chest and he had dropped the knife. His blood had started to splatter her in the face and chest, so Natalia kicked him away and he fell dead to her side.

Jade walked towards her as she stood up, and she noticed he had several burn marks on his face and the fabric from his shirt was torn from the right arm up to the shoulder, while the other was just scorched on the sleeve.

"Indeed... they're aiming to… kill… just you." He gasped, as he touched his spear and summoned it back to his forearm. He had to withdraw it again to use it as support for standing up, as he almost fell face first. Natalia hoped there would be no more enemies, or Jade would be unable to take any more damage.

"What did he do before?" She said, placing an arm around his torso to help him stand. She finished casting her healing circle around the two of them, closing her superficial wounds and relieving the pain from his burns.

"He summoned a wall of lightning with three knives…" Jade explained out of breath, helping himself on Natalia to walk to the back door to Teodoro's house. He grew suspicious of the whole situation with the few energies he had left to waste. He'd only seen one person use knives like that to hone magical attacks.

"Don't tell me you tried to break through the lightning walls..." Natalia muttered, opening the door after placing Jade against a column carefully.

"I didn't try, I crossed them. Just enough portion of my body so I was able to throw the lance at him."

"You're not human, you know?" She scolded him, raising his weight again and hardly managing to push them both into the passage.

"Not the first time I've been told that." He chuckled as Natalia reassumed healing both of them. "It's odd to see you so out of shape, you're usually tougher than this."

"I got a bit startled by the sudden murder attempt, I'm sorry. I'm not a soldier, either, remember? Besides, I wanted to get us out of there as soon as possible, I wasn't thinking carefully."

"Don't fret about it...Thank you." Jade muttered. Just before losing consciousness he was able to see some members of the royal guard arriving to aid them.

* * *

Jade felt the softness of a pillow behind his head and the warmth of healing magic being cast over his burns. He fluttered his eyes trying to avoid the light filtering through a window to his right, being able to distinguish Natalia's blurry silhouette.

"Oh, thank Lorelei you woke up!" She gasped, lightly pressing her forehead against his shoulder. "I thought your wounds were so severe you might have fallen into a comma."

"Where are we?" She handled his glasses back to him.

"Tear's apartment… actually, Van's old room. Father's in the living room talking to Aunt Suzanne and Emperor Peony is with Teodoro at his house. They're both fine" She explained. Jade noticed she had several medicine patches attached to her face and arms, and that her maid, Giselle was sitting behind her making concoctions of medical supplies.

"Is everyone safe?"

"The servant you found earlier died from his injuries… and the assassin you froze was going to be held captive for interrogation, but he… he self-immolated… killed two guards. Aside from that, everything is fine. The only other two people who got hurt and targeted were you and I... you've slept for twelve hours after you fainted."

"That must have been one hell of a burn." He laughed as he checked his arms and tried to touch his face. He had a medical patch over the part that had been struck by the magical barrier, and his whole arms were covered in bandages. He also noticed part of his hair had been burnt and both sides were uneven now.

"Not to mention a great deal of blood loss." Natalia looked deeply troubled and worried. He tried to raise a hand to sooth her with a small caress in the side of her hand, but his own limbs weren't responding pretty well. Instead, he just bumped hands with the princess. "Try not to move. I'll go fetch my father."

He watched her run out of the room and come back with Ingobert, who looked just as worried as his daughter.

"I don't have enough words to thank you for protecting Natalia, General."

"Oh come on Your Majesty, you could be at least more welcoming now that we're going to become family."

"Don't push your luck." Ingobert laughed slightly. "You're fine if you're already cracking jokes."

"No need to thank me, it's my job to protect her. Besides, Natalia was able to defend herself and keep us both alive." He said with seriousness, managing to push himself up just enough to sit down. He noticed he had bandages beneath his shirt as they constricted his ribcage when he moved, possibly they covered the upper half of his torso.

"What's your view on the attack, General Curtiss?" Duke Fabre asked, entering the room with his wife. Natalia tried to push Jade down to the bed, but he signaled it was fine like that. She continued casting healing artes over his wounds as he spoke to her uncle.

"They aimed to solely kill Natalia, as King Ingobert and Emperor Peony's rooms were left unscratched and most of the servants were merely wounded. I have a theory, but I'd like to investigate further before jumping into conclusions." Jade explained.

"You're not doing that, General." Ingobert replied.

"What?" Natalia asked. "Why not? I think it's important to investigate who hired them and why were they trying to kill me!"

"In his current condition he's in no shape to do so. Emperor Peony thinks just the same."

"Where are the others? Are Luke and Guy alright? what about Tear and Anise?" Natalia asked, confused.

"Ah, right you've not seen them yet. They're doing fine, scared for you two but they're ok. I'm sending Luke and Gailardia to investigate on the Inn and the assassin's identities, but I want miss Anise and miss Grants to investigate in your place, as they're neutral on this matter. I hope you don't have any issue on the matter, Jade." He shook his head, acknowledging he needed time to recover from his wounds and that he'd be unable to complete any of those tasks in his current state. "I had the intention to ask for miss Noelle's help to transport you two to a safe place, but given the situation we are in, that's not going to happen."

"A safe place?" Natalia darted her eyes from Ingobert to Jade, who in this case looked as confused as her.

"You're not returning in Baticul until the matter is solved." Duke Fabre explained.

"We assume the enemy infiltrated Yulia City through one of the new military ports, since the passport control here is not yet ready to receive the number of travelers they're getting. But it might as well have been an internal job, since you were the principal target."

"I suppose that eliminates Grand Chokmah as an option to hide her as well." Jade assumed.

"That's right." Suzanne answered. "Emperor Peony insists you two need a break and going into hiding might help soothe the tensions between the two parties. It's already spread the news Natalia was the only target from the strike."

"We're officiating you two are going on a trip before your wedding, to travel around our country's territory." Natalia rolled her eyes. Once again, they were using the tradition to solve political trouble.

"We're not going to stay in Kimlascan territory, I assume?"

"Correct. Emperor Peony suggested taking a sailor ship to Keterburg. Your sister is governor there, right General?"

"Yes, she is." Jade fixed his glasses over his nose bridge. "I guess Nephry wouldn't bother to receive us for some weeks."

"Aren't townspeople going to spread the voice we're not actually visiting their cities?" Natalia asked, thinking the plan had many flaws itself, but she recognized that perhaps Keterburg was the best place to hide. It was the only big city in the Keter country and Jade had a direct relative living there. Given the fact that the capital was really close to the resort town, by the time they got to Keterburg, Peony would have already ordered to duplicate the security. Not to mention the weather and the natural landscape worked as a barrier for the town, thus getting raided by enemies was mostly impossible.

"You can do that once the present matters are over. As long as you keep a low profile while on Keterburg, they should not pinpoint that you're on the hide." The redheaded noble explained, and after exchanging a few more words with King Ingobert, he wished a quick recovery to both Jade and Natalia and exited the room.

"How long will we be staying there, Father?" Natalia asked, finishing her healing spell. Giselle handled her a couple of bottles and a small box which Jade presumed was filled with gels and elixirs.

"Two or three weeks, until your friends have investigated enough. If you're recovered and we've analyzed the situation, you may help them finish it before time." The King said, arms crossed over his chest. "I've already sent people to pack up both of your things. Your ship sails at midnight".

"Tonight?!" Natalia shouted, dropping one of the bottles she had in her hands. Another maid rushed to help her pick it up and clean the mess it had created. "You could have at least told me!"

"I'd not have told you until General Curtiss was awake, otherwise we'd have sent you on your own already. Besides, think of the consequences, Natalia. If anything were to happen to any of you, whoever planned the siege would be getting what they want."

"I know that!" She was growing tired of them making decisions without her consent. Jade, however, believed King Ingobert and Duke Fabre were being, not only prudent, but also considerate with Natalia's situation. "What if the ship sinks?! or what if it gets struck by pirates?!"

"You are traveling with Noelle's brother, Ginji. You're taking the new prototype of the Albiore, it is a light submarine boat that travels faster than normal military ships. I had proposed Noelle to take you there flying, but we can't risk it. Ginji is on his way here, he should be on the port by noon and you'll be arriving Keterburg in a couple of days."

"This is preposterous, Father!" She kept screaming, standing up from her seat. "Most of all, you're officiating it as some kind of honeymoon? Stop using it as an excuse! I have no time to take a vacation, someone is attacking me because they're aiming to damage our country for personal gain!"

"Natalia, stop it." Jade interrupted, his eyes closed with slight desperation. His patience was running low with the princess' complaining. "We have no certainty of why they're trying to kill you, and you're definitely not taking a vacation. I believe you'd not want to spend three weeks alone with me if you were to have a choice on the matter."

"Of course not! But how are you taking this all with such a calm attitude?! They're putting you off-duty for a stupid strike that got you stuck in the middle!"

"Stupid strike? Last time I checked they tried to murder my fiancée and I was protecting her when I got stuck in the middle." Natalia swore she'd never hear him say such a thing with that much anger in his tone. "They're putting me off-duty because I served my job as a soldier, as a servant to Kimlasca's future queen and as your future husband." He sighed, taking a big gasp of air before continuing. "If anything, this is everything but a vacation. I am to recover from these wounds while keeping you safe. Your sole duty is to remain safe while the investigation is taken care of, and for Yulia's sake, you need to get back in shape if you want to handle the strike-back with your own hands."

"FINE!" Natalia stood up again, harshly placing the bottles that were left and the box with the medical items atop of the side table. She stomped out of the room, gesturing in disbelief and anger with her hands. "We'll do whatever you like, Father! It's not like I have an opinion or anything!"

She slammed the door as she went out and Giselle immediately followed her out of the room, asking for the King's forgiveness and for permission to leave after her mistress. Ingobert sighed and signaled the maid to go, and then he turned around to Jade.

"How are you feeling, General?"

"Much better. Thank you, Your Majesty. The princess' healing is outstanding, even if she's not a user of fonic hymns." He sighed, managing to stand up slowly. His muscles felt sore, perhaps for lying in bed for twelve hours straight rather than from the wounds he sustained.

"You'll have to excuse Natalia's behavior. I understand her complains…"

"I'm sorry your Highness, but your daughter is being a crybaby." Jade interrupted harshly, placing his coat over his shoulders. It still had the enormous gap that the assassin tore through his ribcage. "I believe her main complaint is the fact that she's being forced to do something against her will once again, not the fact that she has to go into hiding for her own good."

"I think I've spoiled her too much in the past. She gets angry when she doesn't get what she wants immediately."

"I can see that." Jade said with bitterness, pouring himself a glass of water and sitting on the side of the bed again. "I think this will also be a great experience for her to learn one thing or two about listening to others."

"Good luck with that." Ingobert let out a small chuckle. "What are your plans for Keterburg then, General?"

"We'll meet with my sister as soon as we arrive, but I'm thinking if there's something that may help us keep our profile low. I guess I can show Princess Natalia around the city as well, I know she liked it back when we traveled but we didn't have much time to stay."

"You're actually trying to be a good husband, aren't you Jade?" Ingobert mocked him. Jade didn't let go of the fact he didn't call him by his surname or his rank this time.

"Me? Oh no! No, no, it's mere courtesy, Your Majesty. After all this is just business, isn't it? If I am to win the Princess' confidence and her liking of my natal city, isn't that supposed to help Keterburg with Kimlascan resources?" Jade answered back with a peevish smile on his lips. Ingobert laughed again and patted him in the back, opening the door to leave Jade alone in the guest room until the hour to leave came.

"You're having a hard time accepting you do like being around Natalia, don't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Jade shrugged with a smile on his face.


	6. In the Snow

Their boat had arrived on point. At midnight, on the farthest dock from the main pier, the ship that would take them to Keterburg awaited. Ginji was dressed in a black coat, ready for the sudden change in temperature, and he was already waiting there with his sister. When Natalia arrived with her father, she also noticed Tear and the others were there to bid them farewell. Jade and Peony had already arrived, and they were talking with Guy with very concerned expressions on their faces. Natalia was about to reach them and ask them what happened, but Anise interrupted her before she was even able to talk. She insisted on how much she was going to miss both of them, even though this was the first time they'd actually seen each other in three months.

Natalia knew better… they had probably asked the young Fon Master to distract her as they talked. She would find out eventually, even if it meant having to push into Guy's weaknesses later on. Admitting defeat, Natalia reassured Anise it'd only be for a few weeks until things calmed down. Tear came by, dragging an ashamed Luke with her. They both wished her a safe trip and promised to investigate the case quickly, and Luke apologized once more for his behavior from the other night.

"I was such a jerk…" he muttered, but he received a strong hug in return. "Wha…?"

"It has been an awful week. I had a harsh decision to make, a friend got really mad at me for it, and an almost successful murder attempt just happened. Not to mention I have to say goodbye to all of you, and I have to live with Jade for who knows how long… please don't make it harder" She begged with a smile on her lips.

"Ugh, you're right… I'm still sorry." He insisted, holding her by the arms for a minute just to stare at her closely, to check if she was doing fine. "We're going to find out what happen, I promise."

"I know. Once I come back… we can talk about it, if you want. Remember, I'm still your cousin and your best friend, right?" Natalia said with a fake bossy tone.

"Sure thing, princess" the red haired man gave her a bright smile. That was the Luke that belonged here. It pained her it had to be this way, but she was glad he was given another chance in the end.

"Take this trip to think everything all over, Nat." Tear said, hugging her tightly as it was almost her time to leave. "You can still cancel everything if…"

"You know I can't, Tear… but I think it'll be a great chance either way. Heh! Remember we said we wanted to go to Keterburg on vacation? Well, I hope you can catch up or I'm going to have to go back with you later."

"Ohh, I'd love to go on a vacation as well!" Anise interrupted, squeezing Natalia harder. The princess was still slightly taller than her, but the younger woman had grown some centimeters in the past years. "But… I believe you should actually enjoy the break… get to know each other on a different level. Who knows? Lightning may strike!"

Anise had a cryptic smile on her face, but she had no time to answer back. Peony pressured her to move over, and bring her luggage into the Albiore, as they were going to be departing soon. The more they waited, the more endangered she was. The Emperor insisted it pained him not to accompany them on their trip, but he wished them farewell. Jade laughed and muttered something about sending his regards to Nephry, to which Peony coughed and elbowed him on the side. Jade complained, as he was still hurt from the earlier attack, but he still laughed and got inside the ship with a steady pace. Natalia hugged her father one last time and thanked everyone for their support, then she boarded the Albiore as well.

Just as Noelle had described earlier, the new boat was able to dive some meters beneath the water's surface, which made it stealthier than an airplane or a normal ship. After two days of sailing, the ship finally landed on Keterburg bay. During that time, she'd barely spoken to Jade and Ginji, as she spent most of the time in her room, watching the maritime landscape from behind her window. It was hypnotizing, but it made her feel melancholic as well. She was going to miss her home and her father, and yet she had an unsettling sense of dread roaming around her. Perhaps it was the fact that she had just been targeted for a murder attempt, or the fact that after all that, she still had to spend so much time on hiding with no other than Jade. Resigned, she kept reading her book with little interest of what happened outside her room until they arrived to the snowy country. It was better to make up her mind before it was too late. She had no escape from this anymore.

* * *

_Day One_

The trip went along without any incidents. When they reached the pier from the city, Nephry was already waiting for them, clad in a long-white coat made with faux-fur. The blonde woman hugged Natalia with animosity, but she kept some distance when greeting her brother, giving him a fast glomp and a single pat on the back quickly. After they arrived, Ginji excused himself, saying he had business to attend in Sheridan. Either him or his sister would be back to pick them up once the investigations were over.

"I'm so glad you have arrived safe," Nephry said, shivering slightly. "I have a carriage prepared to take us home, please follow me."

"Thank you for taking us in." Natalia bowed her head, wrapping herself in her coat. She had forgotten how harsh winter was in Keterburg, and she started to wonder if she'd manage to get outside of the house at all. "I hope we can get along, Miss Nephry."

"Please, just call me Nephry. I hope you don't mind me calling you Natalia. Or would you prefer-?"

"No, no, absolutely not, please, call me Natalia if you wish!"

"I'm glad you ladies are getting along just fine. I never had imagined this would happen so fast." Jade mocked as he helped both women up the cart and the driver loaded the carriage with their luggage.

"I never had imagined my brother would actually marry… much less to a Princess, of all things!" Nephry answered back in the same, fakely-amazed tone. Natalia giggled, once the three of them were inside the cart and the driver had closed the door.

"We're not married yet, dear sister, anything can happen. Does your husband has any problem with us staying?" Jade asked afterwards, changing the topic. He crossed his legs as the carriage was set in motion.

"Victor is not in town, he's attending business in Grand Chokmah and won't be coming back until the end of the month."

"I see." Jade muttered and closed his eyes for a while, without saying anything else.

"Does it troubles you that we'll be staying in your house until the things are over?" Natalia asked.

"Oh, didn't Jade tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"We're only staying two nights at Nephry's house. After all, she's the governor, she can't have refugees in her house for a long time."

"You should have said something before! then where are we…?"

"That's a surprise~" He kept his eyes closed but a wide smile crept upon his face.

"I guess I shouldn't tell, then." Nephry said, winking an eye to Natalia. "He'll kill me if I spoil it to you. In given case you don't finish by then, I'll book some rooms for you at the Inn."

"Really? Neither of you are going to tell me anything?" Natalia cried, darting her eyes from one sibling to the other.

"Of course not~" they said in unison, with the same satisfied smile on their lips. For the short interaction they've had, Natalia had never noticed they were really similar, not only physically, but personality-wise as well. Though Jade used sarcasm and humor as a coping mechanism, Nephry recurred to honesty and politeness as her sword and shield. The princess smiled at herself, assuming they weren't so affectionate or close to each other for the same reason they were so alike beneath the surface.

Nephry's house was just as Natalia remembered it. There was a reception and a living room just at the entrance with a small chimney and her office was right behind the door on the back. It had several bookshelves, a large desk and a tea table with a sofá and a couple of chairs. Large piles of books were gathered around the desk, as well as some notebooks and torn papers. However, she walked them to the door to the right, where they found a large hall that ended with a staircase.

"The rooms are on the second floor, but you can get to the library through here, as well to the kitchen, which is in the back and leads to our garden." She explained, mostly to the princess. Natalia assumed Jade knew the whole place, even if it was known he wasn't very fond of paying visits to his sister and that he didn't have the best relationship with his brother-in-law. "Let me show you to your room."

There were four identical doors in front of another and one double door at the end of the hall on the upper floor, where the master bedroom was. Right beside it was another door, which Nephry pointed out was the guest bathroom. Natalia assumed they'd be given a room each, but Nephry opened just one door where the driver had already placed both of their trunks.

"Oh no, we're not sharing room, are we?" Natalia said, shaking her hands slightly.

"I hadn't thought about it, I'm so sorry! I only asked the maid to prepare one room, I can ask her to do one for you, Natalia…"

"N-no, it's fine. I'm just not used to it. Besides, it's only for a couple of days, we can manage, I think" She admitted, looking around the room. It had two twin beds and a large window, as well as a closet and a night table in the middle, with a lamp on top of it. The room was large enough it even had a small sofa and a tea table.

"Oh, at least we're not sharing the bed." Jade said, containing a laugh.

"Thank Yulia." Natalia said with dread in her voice. She knew they'd eventually have to do so, even if it was just for her family's content.

"You don't sound very fond of one another for being a betrothed couple." Nephry said with a sincere, cheerful laugh. "I'd like you to join me for dinner. For now, please make yourselves comfortable. Jade, the keys are on my desk if you need them."

"Thank you, sis." He said heading towards the room's door. "I believe you told me you had something to talk about with Natalia, so I'll leave you to it. I'll take a bath and run some errands while you're attending business, so don't mind me."

"Be back by seven."

"Sure thing."

* * *

Nephry and Natalia walked back down the stairs but they didn't go into the office and the living room this time. Instead, they entered the library. Natalia noticed there wasn't a chimney in the room, as all the others had, but the space where it was supposed to be was taken by a large metallical safe. Nephry walked to the safe and conjured a spell over its combination lock. Natalia had never seen her cast any magic, but she supposed it was a common trait that fonists were abundant within Jade's family. She opened the safe's door slightly and took a small, wooden box from it. Nephry took a deep sigh and handed it to Natalia.

"He'd hate me if he knew I kept this all these years." Nephry sat on one of the library's chairs and Natalia imitated her, without opening the box yet.

"What's inside?"

"It's a gift from mother. She planned to give it to the woman that Jade married when the time came, but he outlived her for quite some years."

"Oh… the engagement ring is rightfully yours, then…?" Natalia said, fidgeting with the piece of jewelry she still kept inside her pocket.

"Keep it. When Peony and I… I told him to keep it. She'd have liked it. I didn't know he had returned it to Jade. I don't want that ring and I'm certain Jade doesn't like that it has been given use."

"He surely doesn't." Natalia snorted, and glanced back at the box between her hands. "...may I?"

Nephry nodded and Natalia unboxed the contents with shaky hands. It had a silver necklace adorned with small, pale green colored gemstones Natalia assumed were some kind of Moonstone, simmilar to the one in her engagement ring. It also came with a bracelet and a set of earrings with matching decorations. They were beautiful, but the jewelry made her uneasy for some reason.

"Jade never liked the idea the present existed on the first place. He hated it so much and cursed it so much my friends and I always joked he had jinxed it. When Sapphir or Peony would come to our old house, they'd say that papa's safe had a strong aura of death that they'd not dare enter the studio." She remembered with a smile. Natalia, on the other hand, believed he had actually cursed the necklace she had in her hands.

"It's beautiful, but I understand why he hates it so much." She said, placing the necklace back into the box. "I'm going to make sure he doesn't see me wearing it often. It's not like we're going to spend much time together once we're married, anyway." Natalia assured with a laugh. "This is not the only thing you wanted to talk about, right?"

"No. Would you mind joining me in my room?"

"Of course not."

"It's a personal gift I want to give you." Nephry explained as she stood from the chair and walked Natalia upstairs again. "Once Peony told me about your possible engagement, I didn't believe him… then, when I noticed he was being serious, I panicked. I never imagined my brother would get engaged… I had no idea what to gift a princess, either. Yet, I got an idea when I got news that you were coming to Keterburg for some time."

"There's no need for you to give us anything, Nephry." Natalia refused, but Nephry laughed slightly.

"This one is just for you, I already gifted my brother something. You'll find out sooner than later" She answered, blinking an eye at her. "Besides, take it as a thank you gift for managing with Jade… he's not the most pleasant human being."

"I'm amazed that you keep saying that after all that has happened." Natalia said as Nephry opened the door to the master bedroom. It had one king size bed with drapes atop of it and very luxurious furniture surrounding it. Nephry asked her to wait at the small living room, while she looked for something in her walk-in closet. Even if Nephty disappeared from her sight, she kept talking.

"You didn't know him as a child. It was unsettling living with him while we were younger, until…"

"I know the story, don't worry… but Jade has changed a lot through the years. Lately, I've got to know parts of him I didn't believe he had." Natalia said, still fidgeting with the wooden box between her hands. She had to admit, all the events that happened in Yulia City revealed another side of him she had no idea that existed.

"I know he has changed, but… sometimes, when we were younger and he'd stabilized himself thanks to Dr. Nebilim's teachings, he'd still have sparkles of that other part within him… I don't know, perhaps it's me being paranoid."

"He loves you, you know?" Natalia argued, turning around to the place where Nephry's voice came from. "Back when I was running investigations and doing interviews, he showed he cared a lot for his family, especially you. I was amazed as well! Perhaps he's never told you how he feels, but… Jade is Jade." Natalia stopped, taking a deep breath and glancing at her own hands for a while. "I understand what you say about those times when that… part of him slips. Yet, I believe he's changed and he's learned from his mistakes, he's been there whenever I needed him and he's been really kind after many situations we've been through… that's amazing coming from him.."

"I see… so that's how you feel about my brother, don't you? I see why you chose to marry him" Nephry came back to the living room with a wide smile on her face and a couple of bags that had clothes inside them. "Don't worry, I won't tell him a word."

"What?! No, I mean…"

"Now, now, don't worry about trivial matters, Natalia, come here." She ignored the Princess' complaints and placed the bags atop of the bed, she showed Natalia some pretty dresses and winter clothing. "These are for you, choose whichever you like."

"I can't possibly take them!"

"You're going to need clothing for this cold besides that coat, and I don't use them anymore. I thought I'd pass them down to you." She answered back, handing a dress to the princess.

"Are you sure?"

"I never had a younger sister and… I'm not sure Victor wants kids. It's better if I give them to my sister-in-law, who can use them now and needs them, don't you think? Unless you don't like them, of course."

"No, no, they're really nice! I'm just ashamed to receive so many gifts from you and have nothing in return. B-besides, we might not even end up being..."

"Don't worry, turning my brother into a normal human being is the greatest gift you can give to anyone. Would you mind wearing one of these for dinner today?"

Natalia nodded, taking a white dress with a mint-green overcoat. She looked at Nephry, who had a kind, yet undecipherable smile on her face, which made her wonder if she had any ulterior motive for being this kind to her.

* * *

Jade had arrived two minutes before dinner, as punctual as ever. He had snow on his hair and shoulders, but he quickly wiped it out in the entrance. During the short trip in the Albiore, he had gotten better from his injuries really quick, and he had trimmed his hair so that the burnt part wouldn't outstand so much. Natalia had to admit he didn't look half bad with his hair slightly shorter.

Dinner was already served and the conversation ran mostly between Natalia and Nephry when they sat down at the table. He shared a few words with his sister, informing her of the current situation of his plan, being cautious not to spoil the princess about anything. Natalia seemed bothered for being excluded from the conversation, but in the end she decided not to argue anymore and let herself be surprised by it. Jade smiled, knowing Natalia as he did, he knew she was going to like the idea once Nephry's maids were done with their job. Two days, nothing more was needed.

Natalia seemed more distracted by the fact that Nephry had found time to cook right before they had arrived at the port. Jade himself had forgotten how good of a cook was his sister and how much he'd grown to love her curry special he'd prepared for him several times while they were younger.

"I could teach you how to cook if you wish." Nephry had told her, which made Jade laugh stronger than he would have liked.

"That's not going to do any good, Natalia can't cook."

"Don't be so mean to her, she's your fiancée!"

"He's right, though" Natalia admitted with a dreadful tone.

"Nonsense!" Nephry refused. "Anyone can cook with enough practice!"

After that, Nephry agreed to teach Natalia how to cook some simple dishes, even if Natalia refused to take any more gifts from Nephry. Jade had taken notice of the dress she was wearing, as she remembered seeing Nephry using it in the past when she was a teenager. He was glad they were getting along really well, but he was unsure how much they'd talked during his absence and how much it had revolved around him. He didn't mind much, but he did know Nephry had a bad tendency of talking ill behind his back and to warn people about his unusual behavior. While Luke hadn't taken her warning in vain, he still tried to make his own judgement before taking Nephry's words for certain. However, his rough relationship with Victor Osborne was caused precisely because of Nephry's influence. Victor never came to trust him, also because Jade decided to side with Peony when their engagement went off and decided to stay in the capital instead of returning home with his family.

Jade had shrugged all the ill feelings from his brother-in-law in the past, but he was unable to deny their possible origin. Yet, Natalia's decision to listen to Nephry was still a mystery to him.

"How was your day?" He asked politely when they walked together back to their room after dinner. "I assume you spent all the evening talking to my sister."

"Yes, she was really kind." Natalia nodded, thanking him for keeping the door open. "She gifted me some old dresses and winter clothes for our stay."

"How rude! And she didn't give me anything!" He faked disappointment in his words.

"She made you your favorite meal and… she said she'd given something to you, which I guess is the thing you don't want to show me yet." Jade didn't answer, but he started to hum a song Natalia didn't recognize.

"Nephry also gave you that box, right?" He said, looking outside the window. He shouldn't have seen the box, as Natalia walked back to the room before he arrived, and hid it inside her trunk.

"H-how did you…? Never mind. I… I'm sorry, do you… do you want me to give it back?" She asked with uneasiness.

"No, it's yours. If she told you the complete story, let me tell you it's not cursed. As far as I know, at least." He shrugged, taking his jacket off and slipping into a nightshirt. Natalia averted her sight with embarrassment, as she was still not used to that degree of intimacy.

"When did your mother ask to have it made?" Natalia asked with curiosity, trying to find somehting more interesting to look at.

"I suppose it was around the time I turned fourteen, when I moved Grand Chokmah."

"Did she know you were against the idea of marrying? I… I guess you were already… involved with Sapphir on the project to..."

"My mother never knew about it, as I refused to tell her. I had some other reasons for that, but I never told her." He admitted. He was about to unbutton his pants when he noticed Natalia was as red as a tomato and wasn't facing his direction. He giggled, taking the night clothes out of the trunk and walking towards the bathroom on the hall.

"Jade, before you go... "

"I'm still not telling you."

"I know. I just wanted to ask… does your refusal has something to do with what happened to Professor Nebilim and that other person you mentioned that night?"

"..." Jade remained in silence, with his hand on top of the doorknob. Natalia was reading into the situation faster than he had imagined. "Yes. I… I shouldn't be telling you this, but it also has something to do with something my Score read some months earlier, before I moved to the capital. As you know, those weren't predictions of death, but they always proved right. Wouldn't you wish to avoid it at all cost?"

"I am aware you don't want to tell me. I assume perhaps only you and Emperor Peony know about it… but whatever you need, just know that you're not alone. I am your friend as well… Whatever happened then, or whatever happened later than that wasn't your fault, either." Natalia stuttered when he turned back to face her, but didn't say anything in return. When she was done, he just smiled and closed his eyes for a second, nodding idly. He walked out the room afterwards, and he took his time in the bathroom to let Natalia have some minutes to change to her pajamas. She probably spoke out of sympathy and didn't know how much her words were coherent. But in fact, Jade's expression showed that she'd actually touched some sensitive spot. Slowly, he was revealing more layers of himself that he'd never shown to anyone before, perhaps not even to Peony. He wasn't sure he actually liked it, but as always, he'd go with the flow.

"I don't like being comforted." He said, patting her head slightly when he returned to the room. She was wearing a silky night robe and had already let herself inside the bed. "You should know that by far."

"I do. But you won't get anywhere from bottling up something that has been bothering you."

"I know. Thanks."

"Jade… will you go and run on errands tomorrow again? I… I kind of wished to go out and explore the place, but I don't want to bother Nephry and I'll surely get lost on my own."

"I have to check on some things, but I can do it in the evening. I believe you were going to have some tea with her tomorrow, right? We can go out for a walk in the morning." He said. Jade unmade his bed and sat on the edge of it, facing Natalia's mattress, where the princess was brushing her hair.

"It's a wonderful idea, thank you so much!"

"I have to ask… didn't you have enough while we were on the trip four years ago? there isn't much to look at besides the casino, the Inn and the plaza."

"Absolutely not!" Natalia jumped a little from excitement. "I want to see more of it, it must have some secrets you know about! Oh, and Nephry told me the lake is astonishing when the sun is setting. She also mentioned the view from the hill at dawn and the path through the forest just outside the north exit… I want to see more of your town, it's really beautiful."

"I think the word you're looking for is romantic."

"Yes, it is… I suppose that's why you don't like it much."

"That's actually the only reason I like it."

"Oh, that's unexpected. I swear I've never heard you say you like anything, less if it's related to your past... I can't wait for tomorrow, then!"

"Good night, Nat." He said, tucking himself inside the covers and turning off the side lamp when the girl laid down as well. There were so many things he'd have liked to argue back from her past statement, but he decided it was best to remain silent for the moment.

* * *

_Day Two_

The snow under her feet made a creaking noise when Natalia's boots stood atop of it. She followed Jade's steps slowly, trying to keep up to his pace as their made their way into a yet unknown place he'd decided to keep a secret as well. He, however, had forgotten to mention the place he wanted to show her was atop of a small hill behind the main plaza, two streets across the park where kids always used to play snowball fights.

"W-wait! the snow is too thick, I'm not used to this…" she exclaimed as she managed to cling into his coat, making him stop.

"I'm sorry. I want to show you something, but if we don't hurry we're going to miss it."

"Is it necessary to go up a hill this early in the morning?"

"You're not going to regret it, I promise." He answered with a wide smile, for some reason Natalia believed it to be genuine and not a mocking, sarcastic one.

"It better be worth it, Jade or I'm going to…"

"Don't worry, there's a path downwards from the other side of the hill. It was a big detour so I preferred to come all this way around." He offered a hand, helping her climb the scrapped parts of the hill. His footing was precise and he managed to keep his balance perfectly, climbing with ease until he reached the top.

"Next time, wake me up earlier…"

"I'll keep that in mind for our upcoming activities, _darling._ I promised your father I'd keep you entertained."

"Oh." Natalia groaned with tiredness, as she managed to reach the top of the hill. She fixed her dress and brushed the snow away from her coat. "I didn't expect you to keep your word."

"I may be obnoxious as you youngsters like to call me, but I'm an honest man." He shrugged, letting out a large and exaggerated sigh. "You should turn around and enjoy the view if you don't believe me."

He placed his hands on her shoulders and forced her to look towards the scenery behind her. Jade managed to hear her gasp in surprise, as her eyes darted across a captivating scene of Keterburg during a snowy, chilly morning. Last night's snow had left a soft mantle of pure white color atop of the rooftops and atop of the ground. It delineated every detail of the buildings, and the light of the rising dawn bathed every corner of the city. Golden linings of sunshine ran across all edges and curves, and the light slowly crept towards the hill they were stepping.

"It's so beautiful…" She whispered with a voice hushed by excitement.

"You also have nice views from your castle, don't you?" Jade said, amused by her reaction. She turned around slightly, following the trail of his voice. It sounded some distance apart from her, because he'd sat down in a rusty steel bench she'd not noticed before.

"Yes, we do. But those are nothing in comparison, this is… breathtaking." Natalia sat beside him, rubbing her hands together to warm herself up.

"I told you, you were not going to regret it." He ruffled her hair slightly and kept his arm behind her back. "Nephry and I would come here before going to class, the road downhill takes to where the Professor's house used to be. Sapphir used to tag along, but he'd always get tired before climbing all the way up here... even once in awhile Peony snuck out of the house earlier and came here as well, and then we'd drag Sapphir out of the snow and send him tumbling down the street." He laughed as he spoke, not looking into Natalia's direction.

"The four of you must have had great memories in here." Natalia said, leaning a bit closer to him. "Even with Dist."

"Oh, no, no! Sapphir was just a tag-along, he wasn't part of those great memories." to his surprise, Natalia giggled and seemed to ignore his comment. "What's so funny?"

"It always amazes me how much you pretend not to like Dist, when you're actually pretty fond of him."

"My, you decided to marry me and yet you don't even know how to read my true feelings! I'm afraid this will not last long if you keep believing such outrageous things about me."

"Whatever you say, _sweetheart~_ " Natalia teased back and tilted her head against his shoulder slightly, as the light from the sunrise started to dim. Jade laughed under his breath and rested his cheekbone against her hair for a brief second. It was awkward… he felt really comfortable around the Princess, when it was just the two of them. At some point during the short time they'd spent together after their adventurous trip, she'd turned from one of those annoying children he had to babysit during their voyages, to a close friend he was able to trust and enjoy her company.

He surprised himself considering Natalia within his group of closest friends, perhaps in the same regard he held Peony and some comrades from the army. The everlasting smile in his face vanished for a while, yet Natalia was so mesmerized by the scenery she did not noticed the sudden mood swing he had suffered. He wondered how much longer would it take her to figure it all out, or to start to ask more poignant questions. It wasn't an everyday thing that Jade Curtiss grew worried, but that early morning, as the Princess was distracted enough to pay no mind to his concerns, he noticed he had the cripling sensation his sudden, unexpected and yet innocent affections towards Natalia were not going to bring them any good.

* * *

_Day Three_

"Jade isn't sure preparations will be ready for us to move out today." Natalia said, as Nephry poured her some tea. "I guess I'll have to book us a couple of rooms at the Inn if whatever he's been working on it's not ready for tomorrow."

"I'll take care of that, don't worry. Being the mayor has its advantages, I can also speak with the spa manager and get you passes. It all depends, maybe you want to go on your own..." She insisted and passed a tray of biscuits to the younger girl. Natalia took a couple and nibbled on them idly, staring behind Nephry's shoulder without paying much attention. Nephry kept talking, but Natalia drifted away for a couple of seconds and stopped listening. "... are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I'm sorry! I'm… a bit distracted."

"Is something on your mind?" She asked. Nephry's eyes darted down to the biscuits in her hand. For the past five minutes, she'd only given one small nibble to one of them. Natalia shook her head, but her eyes and the expression on her face betrayed her.

"There's something that has been bothering me since we arrived, I can't shake it off my chest."

"Do you want to talk?" She offered, placing her cup down. Natalia fixed her position on her chair and gave out a large sigh of worry.

"Perhaps you can understand the situation better than anyone… have you ever felt the connection you have with Victor is…?"

"Oh my, I see where this is coming from." Nephry interrupted, closing her eyes slowly. "Of course I felt like that at first. The Score made me break my original engagement and it made me drift apart from a man I truly loved. It said I was to marry Victor and I followed its guidance. There hasn't been a day ever since the Score was declared obsolete in which I don't wonder if it could have been different. Victor and I didn't like each other much at first… he was of royal blood and I was from the lesser nobility, with both my parents sick and my brother living in the capital." She explained, pouring herself another cup. "However, as time passed by, we started to grow into each other. Perhaps we grew used to be together and we eventually started to like one another out of habit. It took me around two months of living together to call him my husband and two more years for me to say 'I love you'" She admitted with a giggle.

"You worked it out, eventually."

Nephry nodded and glanced into Natalia's eyes. They weren't sad, but she swore she saw her tearing up a little. The governor assumed she was disappointed rather than depressed, for the fact that her relationship with Jade might never turn into something like that.

"Don't worry. I promise things get better." She assured, but she knew she was partially lying. When things had Jade involved, Nephry was unable to tell if they were to end good or terribly bad. For a fact, she wasn't sure if she should be giving Natalia advice on hw to handle an arranged marriage.

"We… he's been really nice to me lately. He's shown me around the city the past two days and he's not been as annoying as usual… but it doesn't feel natural. It's almost as if he's doing it out of pity."

"That's not possible." Nephry said with an undertone of surprise. "My brother does not take pity on others and he's really bad at faking his true feelings. If he's acting like that, he's either taken a liking of you or he wants something from you. Given the fact that you're way younger than him, I hope it's the former."

"W-what?" the Princess asked, surprised. Her cheeks turned bright red under the implications Nephry was pointing out.

"Oh come on, Natalia, he's a man! I know he's weird and everything but…"

"No! Not about that!" Natalia interrupted, her face still blushed brightly. "D-do you really think he likes me?"

Nephry smiled and nodded slightly, sipping from her cup of tea. She'd never expected things to turn out so easily so fast.

* * *

"I presume you already know where I'm taking you." Jade said as he finally was about to show her the place they'd be staying for the rest of the trip. It had taken a couple more hours than required, but they'd be able to spend the night at this new place.

"I have my suspicions, but I actually don't know. Is it Peony's house? Did he lend it to you?" Natalia asked, walking besides him slowly. He was taking his time as meltwater fell from the sky and the first streetlamps were lit with fonons. For the past days, she hadn't gone outside during the evening. She remembered that conversation with Tear and Anise back in the day… it'd be good to spend an afternoon walking in Keterburg's streets, hand in hand with a handsome gentleman. She'd have bitten her tongue back then if she knew that'd be her walking with Jade four years afterwards.

"No, this one is Nephry's gift to me… and in some ways, a gift from me to you."

"You, offering gifts?!" the Princess laughed, turning around to face him. He had a serene expression and a joyful grin on his lips. "What's gotten into you?"

Jade laughed, quickening his pace as he noticed Natalia hadn't got used to the cold as fast as he did. Her hands were trembling and her voice broke each time she spoke, as her teeth gritted together to try to conceal warmth inside her mouth. It'd be better if they reached their destination as soon as possible.

"I believe we have talked about this before. You showed some interest, I decided it was time to give it some use."

"I did?" He nodded, confusing Natalia. He offered an arm to her which she took, stepping closer to each other so that she'd warm herself up with his body heat. "I don't recall."

"It's just two blocks away from here. We talked about it briefly during your interview, you asked about my parents' state."

"Oh… their old household!" Natalia remembered with an excited expression in her face. "You said it was abandoned."

"Nephry gave me the keys the day we arrived and I went to check how deteriorated it was. Since she doesn't plan on moving back into the house, she told me we can do whatever we want with it, it's basically ours now." Natalia laughed, considering how ridiculous it sounded she now had properties in Keterburg with him. "Besides it being dusty and moldy, it's still in good condition. I asked Nephry's maids to clean it, but it took longer than expected."

"We can still take the spa reservations your sister made." She said playfully.

"Always one step ahead, aren't you?"

Their friendship had turned into something different, something she didn't expect to have with anyone at any point. Perhaps not even with Asch. The lack of attraction (or the apparent lack of it, she thought twice as she remembered that time she had almost kissed him), made it way easier to bond. During the trip from many years ago, they had barely got any time to know each other. As ambassadors of their own nations, the constant tension within them was always present, as if they were opposing forces of one another. Once they weren't set to antagonize anymore, Natalia got time to discover a new side of him that was way nicer than the one he'd showed her for so many years. She had to admit, she really liked this new Jade she was getting to meet.

They reached a large metallic fence covered in vines and snow. Jade pushed it open and let her walk inside in front of him, walking across a small garden with no flowers. The grass had been trimmed and the bushes and trees that decorated the entrance had been groomed. There was a stone fountain in the center with no water and vines and branches crawling across the base. The house fit with Keterburg's aesthetics, it was a large, horizontal building with tall windows, made of stone and wood.

"It's been fifteen years since the house has been abandoned. If you're not comfortable with it, we can take Nephry's offer for one of the rooms at the Inn or to pay for a small apartment."

"N-no! It's wonderful!" Natalia admitted, as they opened the door from the building and walked inside. There were still clouds of dust and some spider webs clinging from the large chandelier at the center of the room, but the place was truly beautiful. The staircase to the upper floor split the entrance in two. To the right was the library and what seemed to be an abandoned office, to the left were the kitchen and a small living room with a breakfast table. At the end of the floor, beneath the staircase and across a small hall, there was a dining room with a long, wooden table and a large living room with elegant furniture, tall bookcases and a large fireplace that had been recently lit by the maids.

On the upper floor, there were four rooms with very scarce furniture, though two of them were bigger than the others. Natalia assumed these were Jade and Nephry's rooms when they were younger, and evidently they'd been unused even before the household was left abandoned. The other two must have been guest rooms.

"The spotlight of the house, however, is inside the main bedroom, which is of course yours for the trip." Jade said, opening the door for her. She walked through and found herself in a large room, similar to the one in Nephry's house. The difference, beside the colors and the furniture, was a large crystal door that led to a balcony. From there, they could see the rooftops from the entire city: not so far away from there was the governor's house, the main plaza, and the large tower from the Inn. Natalia managed to notice she could also see the lake Nephry had told her about, right on the outskirts of the city. Even Mt. Roneal scraped surface was perfectly distinguishable from there. Natalia already liked the city… but at that very moment she started to consider she was falling in love with it.

* * *

"Can I ask you something?" The Princess pondered, hours later after they had visited the house for the first time. They had to wait some time until the maids finished cleaning the mansion, so they decided to take a break together and use those reservations on the spa that Nephry had promised.

"What is it?" Jade turned around from his laying position to his side, to face Natalia on the jacuzzi besides his chair. She wasn't wearing that awful bikini Peony gifted her some years ago, instead she had asked for one of the rental bathign suits, but her figure was still distracting. He averted his gaze from her curves, focusing solely on her face. Small beads of water dangled from her hair, but her skin looked almost dry.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she rested her arms on the border of the pool, and placed her face atop of them. The rest of her body was beneath the water. "It's been almost half a week since we arrived and you're actually being a good person for a change. Not to mention I imagined it would have been a living hell having to spend a vacation with you… but it has been really nice."

"I suppose it is because I've considered you one of my closest friends for quite a while. Besides Peony and a few others, I don't have many friends… especially not female friends." He admitted, this time without a smile on his face. He had a concerned look on his eyes, perhaps he hadn't thought how to put it into words even if he had noticed it had actually happened. "I suppose I can't be that much of a jerk with you. I actually don't remember being _that_ rude to you back when we were on our trip. Perhaps it was because of the position you hold, or the fact that I had to keep scolding you rather than poking fun of you back then."

"I guess you're right" Natalia nodded. She felt a warm sensation growing in her chest up to her neck after hearing he considered her a close friend. She'd have never imagined he'd actually say it out loud. "It's weird… I never thought I'd feel so comfortable around you, you know? It almost seems like we could make this-" she started with a loud laughter, but when she mentally finished her sentence, her cheerfulness banished.

"Me either" He finished the sentence in understanding of what she meant. He had a serious look on his eyes, which made Natalia worry quite a bit. "Can you promise me something…?" The question came out of the blue, and the sincerity in his voice took Natalia by surprise. He seemed confused, and from the look on his eyes, it also seemed he was remembering something unpleasant. He averted meeting her gaze, and his usually cocky smile was nowhere to be found. He had a grimace on his lips, as if he'd just tasted something rotten.

"Sure… what is it?" Natalia answered with curiosity.

"If something were to happen…" He stopped for a while, and glanced at her eyes with a very deep look that made her back away slightly. "... no, never mind. It's impossible." He said, shaking his head and glancing away once again.

"Jade, what is it?" Her curiosity had already turned into concern.

"It's… it's nothing" he stuttered slightly. "Don't worry about it. I promise I'll tell you later, okay?"

"... fine".

* * *

_Day Four_

He didn't say a word on the way back and they barely spoke during the night back at the house. The maids had already finished cleaning it, and though it still looked dusty, being abandoned for fifteen years after all, it was ready to be used once again. As they had eaten dinner at the Inn earlier, they went straight to bed as soon as they arrived, given the case it was late at night and Natalia had decided to get up early in the morning to train in the backyard and meet with Nephry at twelve. They barely spoke, as the princess didn't have enough courage to ask him about his earlier inquiry, and Jade seemed lost for words. It was unsettling, but Natalia decided it was better to give him a break and ask him later.

The next morning, after practicing at shooting the tree trunks with her arrows she noticed she had, indeed, lost some of her touch. Her aim wasn't as precise and her proyectiles didn't fly as straight as usual. She lacked strength and focus, but she wondered if it was because she was out of shape or if she was simply distracted by the current situation. Jade's health was back to normal, he had already removed all bandages and the burnt marks on his face and arms had disappeared. The last time she inspected him, the wound on his side had healed completely. It must have been because of Tear's treatment the night before they went away. She was unaware if he had also started training or if he had decided to take a time-off from the routine.

However, as far as she knew and as far as Jade had told her, there were no signs of violence or another strike around town. She had noticed during their evening strolls that Emperor Peony indeed had issued more security protocols along with Nephry, just for the sake of their stay. Not even once had she felt menaced or even unsafe during the vacation, meaning her training was nothing but a formality. Once she could go back to Baticul, she'd make sure to polish her skills as usual.

When she got back to the house to take a bath and get ready, Jade was about to go out. He didn't say what he was planning to do, but he had a stern expression on his face, as if something was eating him from the inside. The princess asked if something was wrong, but Jade shook his head and assured her he was fine. Natalia knew better, he didn't even shake off her worry with sarcasm, he just resigned himself and walked away without saying anything else. She pondered if she should follow him, but she realized that would have been a very bad idea. She resumed her plan and readied herself to go to Nephry's house for a cup of tea. According to her future sister-in-law, that day she'd try to teach her how to cook. Natalia knew it would only end in tragedy. But, as Anise used to say, who knew? Lightning may strike.

* * *

_Day Six_

Perhaps it was the fact that she never had a good teacher to begin with, but Nephry's instructions were more than enough to help her learn the basics in cooking. Out of excitement, she decided she would prepare a meal for the three of them during the morning, and she made Jade promise he'd be back from his usual trip by five. She still didn't know where he was going, but that morning she was sure she could keep herself entertained, just enough not to follow him to whatever place he was going this time.

As the time flew by as she tried to cook the meal, she noticed it wasn't as easy doing everything on her own. The princess even had to fetch a maid for help, as nothing was turning out to be as she expected. Once she was finished, it was almost time for the two siblings to arrive and she hadn't even prepared the table. She was already aware of it, but when it came to doing things with her own hands, she was terrible at it. She panicked, but the maids had already set the table as they noticed Natalia was making a mess in the kitchen. The princess thanked them and almost cried in joy as she would not end up being the worst host of the city.

"Be honest!" She exclaimed when they were about to finish their dinner. To her, the food wasn't half-bad, but she'd been tasting everything as she cooked, so she was unable to tell if everything tasted horribly or if it was actually good. "What do you think?"

"You want my sincere opinion?" Jade asked, raising an eyebrow as he finished his last bite of spicy rice.

"Don't be a jerk…" Nephry muttered, sipping from her cup of tea. Natalia shook her head, insisting it was already enough they had managed to eat everything from start to finish without insisting it all tasted like soap or that they felt their faces were melting. Jade nodded, admitting he didn't want to die from food poisoning, much less before the age of forty. His sister was about to complain from his matters, but Natalia sided with him: she was also worried her cooking would have made them sick or worse.

"Yes! Be as cruel as you wish, General, now is your chance to get back at me!"

"Well, if you insist…" he sighed, rolling his eyes at Nephry. "The spiciness was fine, but the rice was slightly undercooked. The meat lacked some savor, it was bland in taste, but overall you got the cooking right, there were no raw or burnt parts on it. The salad didn't mix with the rest of the dishes you prepared, and the dressing sauce you made blocked the taste from the vegetables… overall, it was better than usual, I must say… but you still lack practice. I didn't believe it would be possible coming from you."

"You're terrible!" Nephry scolded him, but then she noticed Natalia was on the verge of tears with a large smile on her face. "What?!"

"Oh my! I never believed you'd say such a thing!" She screamed, covering her face from embarrassment and joy. "I… I don't know what to say…"

Just as Natalia sobbed, a maid walked in with a tray of freshly baked cupcakes. The princess opened her eyes in surprise, she had already forgotten she'd prepared something for dessert. Jade shook his head with a smile on his lips and grabbed one of them, Nephry followed suit, still with a gesture of disbelief.

"These are…" Nephry muttered after the first bite, staring at the small dessert in her hand.

"..." Natalia's eyes darted from her back into Jade, who ate the biscuit with a serious look on his face. He had a large frown on his face, she already knew he wasn't very fond of sweets. She waited impatiently for a response.

"Surprisingly good." He said in a hushed tone, and avoided to cross eyes with Natalia immediately afterwards. The princess was unable to stop smiling. It wasn't a common thing to receive praise coming from General Jade Curtiss, not even while cooking. Once again, she was a hundred percent sure he was actually blushing, just from the fact of being proven wrong.


	7. The Eye of the Storm

_Day Eight_

Jade had noticed right away that the princess had been following him for quite some time. Natalia wasn't being discreet about it either. On his way there, Jade made sure to walk slower than usual, so that she'd not lose him as she tagged along. He could even hear her rough stepping on the snow and her breath growing heavier from walking out in the cold, apparently she hadn't grown used to it yet, even if a week had already passed. Once he reached the flower shop, just as he intended ever since he left the house, he decided it was time to cut the chase and talk to her already.

"I'm amazed you didn't follow me earlier during the week." He said, as he turned around and offered her a flower from the bouquet. There were white flowers mixed with some blue and purple ones that had yet to blossom.

"You knew…?" She said, surprised he was placing the blue flower on her hair, behind her ear with a large smile on his lips. "I… I didn't want to intrude or anything, but you've been acting strange since the other day… I grew worried."

"Aww, how nice of you." Jade mocked, gesturing her to the exit of the shop. She followed him on his way through, the destination still unknown to her. "I suppose you have no idea what I've been doing, right?"

"No… but if you're carrying flowers, I imagine you're visiting someone?" She said. Jade smile grew wider, as he perceived a small tint of envy on Natalia's words. He was unable to contain a brief, yet loud laughter.

"Yes, you're totally right. You caught me red-handed." He shrugged and stopped for a few seconds, just to look at the startled look on her face. Her defeated expression almost made him feel proud of himself. "I'm visiting a very special lady. We met a long, long time ago, and we have… quite a story together. I think you both would be really good friends with each other. Would you mind coming with me? I'd love you to meet her!"

"...sure", Natalia answered with spite, still unaware of the Necromancer's intentions. Jade smiled, and cheerfully walked her across the city. They passed by the casino and the plaza, they even went further away from the hill they'd seen the dawn days earlier. Natalia started to suspect something was odd.

Her suspicions were proven right when Jade greeted the guard from the graveyard. Without adding another word, he walked her through several rows of headstones and mausoleums, until they reached a small crypt that had the inscription "Balfour" atop of it.

"Here we are. Natalia, I want you to meet this special lady we've been talking about." His voice didn't sound cheerful but it was still filled with his usual sarcasm. Even if she didn't admit it, it hurt her when he spoke like that, even if she understood she had it coming from making the wrong assumption he was seeing someone behind her back.

"I'm sorry…"

"I told you I don't have many friends. I went away from this place when I was fourteen and the town has grown a lot since then, so I don't know many people from here. The ones I did know… well, they're either living in Grand Chokmah or buried around here."

Natalia stared at the tombstones in silence. Orpheus and Andromeda Balfour's names were scripted on the large gravestone, just beneath their feet. There was enough space to carve two more names on the headstone, and Natalia knew immediately which ones were supposed to occupy those places. A shiver ran down her spine, as she realized the implications for that to happen. Worse than that, she realized the Balfours' wishes to be together after death with their children would, most likely, not be granted.

As she stared dumbfounded at the names, she noticed there were already a couple of bouquets placed atop of the crypt. Natalia's eyes darted up to meet with Jade's, but he was looking far off into the distance. Without saying another word, he started to walk into that direction, and she unconsciously followed suit. They moved for some minutes in complete silence. A cold, dead silence surrounded them, it was only filled by the whistle of the wind and the distant sobs of mourning families that also visited the cemetery.

After a while, Jade stopped in front of a large, beautiful sculpture of an angel. It had its wings resting, flexed over its shoulders, as if they were shielding the tired body of the creature. The angel rested on its knees, with its hands facing the sky, as if pledging for a miracle. Natalia gasped when she read the inscription beneath the angel's feet: "Gelda Nebilim", There were no flowers, and the snow covered the ground around the tombstone. In comparison to his parents' grave, he had not visited his mentor's resting place at all during their stay in Keterburg.

Unable to say a word, the Princess watched Jade for a while. He wasn't smiling, but had a blank expression on his face. Natalia assumed that ever since they had defeated the replica four years ago, he'd not visited her memorial even once. He didn't look sad or regretful, but he seemed absent from his own body at that very moment. His eyes didn't focus anywhere in particular, and his hands didn't even seem to grip onto the white bouquet he'd brought to her. She was scared that if the wind blew stronger, he might as well disappear into the snow. After a few minutes, he knelt and placed the flowers, without saying anything else. Just as he did it, he stood up again and walked back to where he came from.

Natalia didn't know why, but her body reacted before her mind could even fathom what she had done. She stretched her arm just as he walked past her and held into his sleeve, stopping him immediately. Jade froze and did not oppose any resistance, but he didn't turn around to face her. Slowly, she reached out to him and laced her arms around his waist from behind his back. He felt the pressure of the Princess' head against his spine; as she embraced him, he let his own body relax to her touch. Perhaps if it hadn't been for her, he'd not have come to visit the Professor's grave in first place. He had not found the courage to face the facts and head towards the tomb for so many years, and in recent times he'd been avoiding it at all cost. Jade knew Natalia would follow suit that day. Only because she was there had he managed to leave his parents' graves and place some flowers for Professor Nebilim.

He turned around slightly and hugged her back, resting his chin atop of her head. Her hair smelled of a mixture between honey and chamomile, the perfume was really soothing itself, but her touch was what made him feel as calm as he was. Jade had trouble admitting the fact that they'd grown so close because of the similarities they shared. After all, he'd said it before, he wasn't into mutual wound licking. In their case, it was different. Those wounds were not recent, either intentional or self-inflicted. Natalia had suffered her own share of bitterness and she'd not asked for any of it. Even in her sheltered life as a princess, she'd taken so many unnoticeable blows that had hurt her deeply. Eventually. he'd come to feel an incredible empathy towards her. Some might have thought it was pity, but he knew it was something beyond mere sympathy. In some way, she was the only one who had gone through the same tragedy as him, the same traumatic experience of losing the person she loved and admired the most.

Even after all that, she had a kind, loving soul. Spoiled, childish and stubborn as she was, she had a humble and good-willed spirit Jade couldn't help but admire of her. Their situations were so similar, and yet she'd moved on, she'd learned how to be loved instead of feared, in comparison to himself. Were those things he liked so much about her twisting into something else? It was a constant question Jade had been asking himself for the entire week. He held her tightly, waiting for the princess to let go eventually. Just as he held her, he started to ponder if he'd not been using his idealized image of Natalia as a supplement for something else… for someone else…

"I need to talk to you about something." He said, pushing her shoulders slightly for her to move back. He glanced at her pale green eyes, and he saw the light in them penetrate into his own with curiosity and some sort of affection he could not manage to classify. It was one thing that frustrated him so much about her: after almost five years of being his friend, Jade was never able to pinpoint what his feelings for her were. Was she a really close friend and confident? Was she a child who needed guidance? Was she an idealized replacement of something he considered lost? Jade let out a small chuckle. Perhaps what frustrated him the most was just the fact that she made him _feel_ something _._

* * *

Jade left the graveyard and told the princess to meet him at the house later. He needed some time on his own to think, he said, and Natalia agreed to see him in the evening. However, she made him promise to talk to her about whatever crossed his mind earlier. It was the right time to do it. If she didn't press him enough about it, he'd never say a word. She left the cemetery with a large sigh, with a taste of defeat lingering on her mouth. Sometimes that taste felt bitter, sometimes bland or even tasteless, and at times it was salty as the tears she almost felt forming in her eyes, which she kicked back each time. That evening, it was a strange mix of those three sensations. Something about the image of a broken Jade made her feel weak on the knees… not even when they faced the replica had he looked so vulnerable. However, he shattered right in front of her eyes just some minutes ago. She'd never imagined Jade would ever show himself emotionally open to something, not even Professor Nebilim's death.

After walking for a while beneath the soft snow, she found herself in front of a corner store, with bright, colorful bottles of liquor displayed on its windows. She imagined that the fact that the town was a resort, and that it snowed for twenty hours a day, alcohol was a common product to be bought by the locals. She remembered, on the multiple times she'd gone out for dinner with Jade, he would usually ask for a glass of wine or a strong whisky, instead of a cup of coffee or a cup of tea. She imagined he got his taste from the time he had to live in Keterburg, even if he was very young, or because Grand Chokmah was a cold city as well, especially during the winter as it was surrounded by a waterfall. Baticul, even if cold during the winters, had never seen the snow fall. It was the first time in her life she had spent this much time in the frozen city, and yet, it almost felt like it had been a long time since she arrived. She decided to buy a bottle of wine before heading back to their house. It'd either be a good thing to take with their dinner, or something that the Necromancer would surely appreciate, mostly if he truly wanted to talk at last.

She entered the house after walking back from the store and headed into the kitchen for a pair of glasses. Afterwards, she set on the quest to find her fiancé, but it didn't take long, as Jade was sitting on the balcony on the second floor, glancing away from her direction. As soon as he heard her steps, he spoke but did not turn around.

"You took longer than I expected".

"I stopped at the corner store. I think you'll appreciate a glass of this, the vendor said it was from a really nice harvest." Jade finally turned around and grabbed the bottle, inspecting the label on its side. He admitted the vendor was right, and poured them both a glass of wine. Natalia sat beside him and watched as the sun went down on the horizon. "So… you wanted to talk."

"... yes. I think it's time I tell you", the Necromancer admitted. He sipped from the glass and placed it down, his fingers fidgeted with the top for a while before he proceeded. "I'll start after the facts you know from the story. Do you remember I mentioned something about the Score some days ago?" Natalia nodded, but she did not understand what did it have to do with anything. "When I turned seventeen, almost three years after the incident with the Professor happened, I had my birthday Score told to me. These are not the exact words… mind that it has been almost twenty years from that and that the phrase was in Ancient Hispanian…" He fixed his lenses and shifted his position slightly. "For the one who shall be known as the master of the undead, those with the blessing of Yulia shall never become one with fulfillment. It is his fate, as a harbinger of death itself, that those who breach into his soul shall see their own torch in the flames of destiny."

"That's… that's terrible!" Natalia said, understanding the implicit message his Score read. "W-what did it mean with… blessing of Yulia?"

"It is a common expression in Ancient Hispanian to refer to women, in reference to beauty and fertility. Yet I believe it also meant anyone who might have been blessed with happiness." Jade sighed, closing his eyes. "Of course, it didn't predict death. When the first verses were read on the closed Score, it had predicted the Professor's death. When this was read to me, several years later, it predicted a series of tragedies that would come… because people became close to me."

Natalia began to understand many things about Jade that she had never seen before. For instance, his stubbornness during his youth to bring Professor Nebilim back, and later, his harsh attempts to save Luke and find out what happened to him after he returned years later. He kept fighting his own destiny, opposing to the constant, looming idea that all of the tragedies that happened to people close to him were actually his fault.

"As you may know, I resented the Score since then, and I tried to go against it. I even tried to deny it ever existed. Nothing would happen, people would not get hurt because of me anymore. If I managed to bring her back, nothing would go as the Score had said… back then, I sounded an awful lot like Dist." He shivered, but after blinking several times he pulled himself back into reality and he continued. "Two things showed me I was unable to break from this unfortunate chain of tragedies. The first ones were my parents, their illnesses and subsequent deaths. Even if it wasn't directly my fault, I assumed it had something to do with the Score. If it hadn't been for me… perhaps it wouldn't have happened. The second one was Nephry's engagement."

"Don't tell me you blame yourself for that… it wasn't you fault."

"It's all connected, Natalia. The Score said that those close to me couldn't achieve happiness and fulfillment. Nephry's Score read she had to marry a man she loathed and let go of her childhood sweetheart… who also happened to be my best friend." Jade sighed deeply and sipped from the wine again. "Peony lost the love of his life… I kept telling myself those were just coincidences, but as time passed, I noticed they weren't. Sometime later, my adoptive sister from the Curtiss family lost two of her children… the older one in an accident, and the younger one was stillborn. I couldn't look away from fate anymore, but I still tried. I started to cut my bonds with people by that time, believing it would be better for everyone. However, I…" he remained silent for a long time, unable to continue.

Natalia grabbed his hand, trying to push him into speaking. Her eyes were those of patience and compassion, nevertheless, as if she was telling him to stop if he didn't want to keep on with the story. "... there was someone I couldn't let go so easily. I don't know if it was because of my research or if I actually had feelings for her, I… I still don't know for sure. By that time, I was obsessed with bringing the Professor back and perfecting fomicry, I didn't care for anything else. Sapphir kept pushing me into doing it, saying we were closer each time. We had an assistant, that I'd gladly call a friend and a colleague. I can't tell if it was love or not, but we were together for a couple of years... Her name was Emeraude."

"...was?" Natalia asked, noticing the grim undertone on his voice as he finally spoke of her.

"It is the first time I've talked about her in such a long time. Even Peony doesn't know much about her... I guess Sapphir never noticed what was going on between us, he didn't actually care." He laughed briefly. "During my accident, when we believed we had finally perfected the technique to create replicas, the machine got out of control and the spell itself backfired. I was caught on it, but came out with minor injuries, even if they were terrible at the moment, they held no life-long consequences. Em… wasn't so lucky. She got hit by the machinery and got paralyzed from the waist down, tied to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. I understood by then that she'd be better as far away from us and from my research as possible, so I took her out of the project and broke off our relationship. I don't think she ever forgave me for it. She joined another research team in Sheridan later on but… I believe she passed away some years ago due to complications from the accident, at least that's what a common friend told me."

"Jade, that's horrible…"

"It doesn't end there, unfortunately." He frowned. Natalia was afraid he might crush the glass if he kept pressing his fingers against it like that. "I cut bonds with her, with everyone at the research lab, even Sapphir. Peony and my sister were the only ones close to me, but I still kept my distance for their own sake. Years had gone on without minor incidents… until I met a whole bunch of troublesome kids."

"None of it was your fault-!"

"Anise lost Ion and almost lost her parents to Mohs. Tear lost her brother and her mentor, she saw them die twice in front of her eyes, and her beloved disappeared for two years when everything was over. Guy remembered his past and saw his sister die several times in front of his eyes, not to mention what happened to his cousin Cecille. Luke suffered through everything from Akzeriuth and beyond, we don't even know what happened to him in the end… and don't even let me get started with you. From all of them, you were the one who had it worse after Luke. From all of them… I believe you're the only one who's not found her way back into happiness."

"Jade, the Score is not working anymore…" Jade interrupted her once again placing a hand on her cheek, which startled her. He did that so that she'd look at him straight in the eyes, unable to turn away, but she felt as if he was about to pull her closer to him.

"Wouldn't you be scared of it either way? Wouldn't you feel the crippling sensation of having the people you love getting hurt in front of your eyes, and you're to blame for it? Even _die_ right in front you?" He sighed, as he noticed he was being too honest and he was opening himself far too much with her. "My parents died, with a broken family and from terrible illnesses. I killed my mentor and my lover because of my naivety. My obsessions practically turned Sapphir mad. My best friend and Nephry had lived a bitter life away from each other… Izumi lost her children… you kids are each a walking tragedy… if you were in my shoes, wouldn't you be reluctant to show yourself to others? To bring yourself closer to people?" He breathed harshly, knowing he was stepping into dangerous territory. "If you knew loving him would have killed Asch, would you have done it?"

"..."

"It's not easy. I don't like marriages or bonds with people for many reasons… but I believe you get the bigger picture when I tell you I'm better off alone. Don't you think it is hard for me growing this close to you, knowing it could even kill you?"

"Jade…" Natalia placed her fingers atop of his hand, and brought the other up to her face as well. It was a very intimate gesture, but she didn't mind. She needed to feel him close, after seeing him slip away in his rampage of despair. "... I honestly don't care of what your Score might have said. It doesn't work anymore. Besides… I never believed I'd ever tell you this, actually… it is better to live a minute being this close to you, rather than a life without you here. Don't ever think of pushing me away, or anyone else for that matter. No one blamed you for their own tragedies, but they're sure right to not forgive you for letting them go. You were the one blaming himself the whole time."

"You didn't answer the question." He mocked, pushing his forehead into hers.

"Of course I'd be scared. But I'd do it anyway. You asked about Asch… I'd love him again and again if I had the chance. Even if it killed him, I'd die as well just to love him, living, once more. Just as much as I'm willing to…" She interrupted herself, closing her eyes briefly and shaking her head. "No, never mind. that's not the point. I… I'm going to make you an offer, take it or leave it." Jade glared at her in confusion, but Natalia giggled to shake off her nervousness. "Do it. Let's get closer, let's become friends, best friends, spouses, even! I want you to show yourself that your Score is _wrong_. What's the worst that could happen? If you get me killed you'd… I don't want to call it that, but you'd be doing me a favor. I'd not get to marry you and I'd get to be with Asch again. Let me be selfish for once in a lifetime… and let yourself become closer to another human being for the first time in ages."

She was wise beyond her years. She was no genius in any sort of academic topic, she wasn't even the best in combat or in healing artes… yet, the woman before him had a strong sensibility for others. No wonder the people in her kingdom loved her so much. The words she just spoke were those of a queen, showing a peasant how to love himself. Jade smiled, without that harsh facade of sarcasm he had built over the years, a genuine smile of a child who had lost his way back home. She was as warm as a guiding light in a cold winter night, a fitting analogy to be said in Keterburg. He even felt her burning brightness might scorch him if he got too close to her. He hugged her tightly, with shaky hands that believed he'd crush her if he pressed just a bit more. Yet, she promised to be eternal. It was something he was willing to believe.

* * *

_Day Nine_

When Natalia woke up in the morning, she found a tray with breakfast and a cup of tea besides her. Unexpectedly, there was also an envelope on the table, signed by Nephry. One of the maids who'd been serving her during the week wasn't present, and she found out about her absence inside of Nephry's letter. Apparently, a snow storm had suddenly hit the city last night. An avalanche happened on the skirts of Mt. Roneal and the strong wind currents carried the snow over to Keterburg, making it hazardous to even go out of the house. It didn't say how long the weather would remain like that.

Nephry's letter had been sent late at night but it had just arrived some hours before Natalia woke up. The weather was so bad not even the mailmen could manage to deliver the letters from within the city. The governor recommended not going out of the mansion until the snow storm had subsided and she informed them that all activities would be currently suspended. One of the servants explained to her that the absent maid apparently was caught in the middle of the storm late at night and she woke incredibly sick that morning. Seeing the facts as they were, Natalia decided to follow her future sister-in-law's advice and stay indoors until the storm subsided.

Natalia noticed Jade wasn't in his room when she went out of hers once she was done with breakfast. Albeit she was sure he'd not go out with that weather, she got slightly worried for him. He wasn't in the best mood since the past evening, and getting out in the cold would not make him any better. The princess knew it was best to leave him alone, for it was Jade after all. Even if he had told her several things that were certainly intimate and quite unexpected coming from him, she didn't hope for any change in his usual behavior. He'd still be a lone wolf, no matter what.

After taking a quick shower, Natalia decided she'd take the opportunity to investigate around the mansion, as she'd not given herself the time to stay inside the house during the mornings. The only room she'd actually roamed around was the master bedroom and the kitchen, but she'd not visited the living room and the studio. The princess did take notice that most of the things from the room she had been sleeping the past nights were empty: the bookcases, the drawers, the closets, even the bathroom had no signs of use in several years. However, when Jade showed her around the house the first time, she noticed that the library and the office were filled with books and scrapped pieces of paper. Most likely, it had remained intact from the last time his parents used it.

Natalia was a curious person. She knew it was one of her biggest virtues and one of her worst flaws. It had gotten her into constant trouble and at times it had also put her in considerable danger. She wasn't sloppy or careless, but problems usually triggered because of her constant snooping. She had considered the fact that Jade might get bothered if she stuck her nose in his family's belongings, but as far as she knew, he might even join the quest. He was just as unpredictable and as curious as she was. Perhaps the fact that he was a scientist helped on that for all she cared, it'd be better to say sorry than to ask him first to do it.

On her way to the studio, Natalia heard his voice at the distance humming a cheerful melody, almost by chance did she manage to listen with the strong wind blowing behind the windows. She turned her feet around as quickly as possible and ran down the hall to meet him. Jade was making his way down to the living room with a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in the other. He wasn't wearing a coat, and he had his hair tied up in a messy bun just as if he was enjoying a day off on a Sunday morning.

"Oh, I didn't expect you to be up until past twelve." He said with a cheerful voice. "Did you enjoy breakfast?"

"Good morning. Yes, it was delicious… wait… was it you?" She stared at him in disbelief.

"I had a bit of insomnia after our conversation last night. I had to keep myself entertained so I decided to make you breakfast. Take it as a sign of gratitude for your attention on yesterday's evening. And please… don't try to make me feel better ever again, I beg you." He smiled and cocked his head to the side, trying to reinforce the sarcasm in his words. Natalia knew better, as she believed he was truly grateful for her patience and her words of support, though she was also sure he'd not need any more of them for a very, very long time.

"Yes, it was great. Thank you so much."

"Just don't get used to it." He winked at her as he spoke, then he noticed she had appeared out of the blue, running from around the corner of the hall. "Were you heading somewhere in particular? You're not thinking of going outside, are you?"

"Heavens, no!" She answered, as another gust of wind roared and hit the windows fiercely. "That'd be suicide right now. I was planning on visiting the studio…" She admitted, waiting for an advice to avoid said place, but Jade's smile perked up immediately.

"Curious, aren't you?" He said, drinking his coffee in just one sitting and placing the book on a side table on the hall. "I was planning to go reading in front of the chimney for a while, but I think I'll join you in your epic quest of unraveling my family's secrets."

"You don't mind if I do?" The princess asked, surprised he was the one proposing to snoop around the office.

"No, actually I've been curious about something myself." Jade admitted, walking towards the other side of the mansion at quick pace. Whatever was it, Natalia noticed a certain excitement in his actions. "Many, many years ago we had a long piano in the living room, right in front of the fireplace." Natalia didn't recall seeing the piano when she walked into the living room two days ago. In fact, she had not seen any musical instrument or sound-playing device inside the house. "I know for a fact they didn't sell the piano, my mother was quite attached to it as it belonged to my grandparents, before they passed it down to our family. But, after the incident with Professor Nebilim, my father removed the piano from there."

"How curious… but why?" The Necromancer shrugged, and he explained he wasn't certain about it. He assumed his parents related the accident with music. It happened because of Jade's foolish attempts to control the seventh fonon, which represent sound and energy itself. Perhaps the idea of having the piano right in the middle of the house would bring harsh images to a young Jade who've just seen his mentor and guiding example die right in front of his eyes. He admitted he wasn't sure, but it was his closest assumption.

As they reached the studio, Natalia noticed right away there was a family picture behind the desk. If it was as realistic as it seemed, the two siblings were actually a living copy of their mother. Mrs. Balfour was a tall, slim woman with long golden hair and a beautiful face, framed with a thin pair of glasses. Her husband, on the other hand, was slightly shorter than her and had dark hair and a well-trimmed beard. Mr. Balfour wore no glasses, and was more muscular than Jade in his current age. Natalia assumed both of his parents must have been around his age by the time the painting was done. Jade and Nephry appeared on the picture as well, the former looked no older than ten, while the young girl was around four. She clung into her mother's dress, while the younger version of the Necromancer had a distant look on his eyes. Natalia couldn't help but notice he wasn't wearing glasses around that age, and that his irises weren't tinted in red because of the fonic artes he had cast on them later on.

"I've always hated that painting." He complained when he noticed the princess had been staring at it.

"Is it not flattering to your natural charms?" She smirked, careful to use words he'd actually say. Jade chuckled and ruffled her hair, moving away from the desk into the bookcase. "You think we're going to find the whereabouts of the piano in here?"

"I know for a fact where it is." He said with assurance. "As every old, bourgeois mansion, there has to be a secret door behind one of the bookshelves." The Necromancer walked towards the wall on the right, where the largest bookshelf was and climbed up the staircase to the third register. Natalia noticed there was a small statue holding some books on it, and Jade pulled from it as if it were a lever. He walked down from the stairs and headed to the wall on the front, where he unlocked a mechanism behind the other shelf and pulled it towards him. A very large wooden door, carved with floral decorations appeared before them. It was large enough to let a piano go through...

"I knew this door was here for quite a long time. Father didn't like us going into his studio, but we did anyway. I discovered it was here when I came back home for the holidays, some years ago. But…" he paused himself, letting out a large sigh. "... I never found the key and I never liked the idea of blowing it up with a spell."

"We have some time to kill, I hope it'll be in this room."

Jade was almost sure it was there, but he knew it was very well hidden. She insisted his parents would have another secret trinket to keep the key away from peeping toms, as if the hidden door behind the bookshelf wasn't enough. The older man pretended to be incredibly tired by his age and insisted she'd have to roam around everywhere by herself to find the key, possibly even the ceiling at this rate. Natalia shook her head with a hushed laughter and sat on the large chair behind the desk, as she started to roam around the letters, most of them signed by Jade's father and dated to several years prior to the current decade. He checked on the books in the shelves expecting to find something within their pages.

After they spent around an hour in silence, Natalia had already crossed her eyes across too many letters that she was no longer reading them. She'd found a lot of correspondence between Mr. Balfour and the commandant from the Curtiss family that had adopted Jade into their ranks at the Capital. She found them amusing at first, but they became monotone later on. She noticed they were more like a formality than anything else. The princess noticed she'd not find anything in there, so she moved towards a bookcase Jade hadn't inspected yet.

He broke the silence after a long time and told her those were his mother's shelves and that there were some old novels that Nephry liked to read. Most of them were romance novels and love stories, which made Natalia smile widely. Of course she imagined Nephry would read those kind of stories, but she never thought Mrs. Balfour would do the same. She'd never actually though on how she'd have been back when she was alive… ever since she had to investigate on Jade's past, Mrs. Balfour appeared but as a phantom of a past that never was.

It was hard to imagine her as a normal human being, made of flesh and blood. But it was between the books she read, on the ink and paper, that she became real before her eyes. It wasn't only the novels, Natalia noticed. For each book she opened, she found her perfect calligraphy on the bottom of the first page, a written reminder of the date and the weather of the day she started the book. At the end of each one, on the last page, there was a brief, but beautiful verse in relation to the tale she had just finished reading. Natalia didn't know if Jade had any idea of his late mother's little habit. Perhaps he'd have thought it was too cheesy, but Natalia believed it was wonderful.

* * *

_Day Eleven_

They had decided to call it a day after five hours of searching to no avail. In all honesty, Natalia had stopped searching many hours ago, but she kept on reading the brief poems on the back of each novel she grabbed. She also spent time reading some of the stories of those books who seemed to have been taken out of the shelves many times, to the point they'd been broken on the edges. A singular story stuck with her deeply, and Natalia couldn't say what was about it that caught so much her attention. It spoke about two elemental spirits, one of those stories that were told from generation to generation when the cult to spirits was still held in many towns and villages before the Score and the teachings of Yulia came to being. Natalia had heard of some of them in Baticul, but she was aware those traditions were most common in Malkuth than in Kimlasca.

Natalia picked the story book where she read that legend and ran her fingers through it once again the next morning, In the meanwhile, Jade had been just as distracted as her in their search for the key, as he kept walking in front of the same bookshelf time and time again. The princess didn't dare to ask if he'd found some sort of trick to open the door without the key, or if he'd already given up on finding it. She had her eyes set on him as her hands held one page open, and in her distraction, her fingers bumped against something peculiar: she hadn't noticed some of the letters had texture on them. She imagined it'd have been the beginning of the text, but she noticed it was a series of numbers on the right corner of the book. _B3-r5-"TTotUL"-p40._

"Jade…?"

"What is it?"

"I think I know where the key is…"

She stood up from her stool and looked around. All of the shelves had a large, golden number on top of it. The one that Jade had been walking around was numbered as the third one. Natalia walked besides him and climbed up to the fifth row. She smiled with pride as she noticed all the books from that row began with the letter T, so she began to roam around the ones that she managed to grab from the staircase. The last one her hands reached towards was named _The Tragic Tale of the Undead Lord_ , just as the message on the bottom of the storybook said, all the letters coincided. Natalia opened the book, and found immediately that there was a large gap with a key inside of it. She showed it to Jade with a triumphant look in her face and she smiled as she jumped down with the book still in her other hand. She wondered what other secrets were held inside those books, which other clues were the novels themselves would be able to tell her if they kept roaming inside the studio.

Jade was surprised she'd found the key in just three days, when it had taken him several years to find the mechanism for the door. He guessed he'd underestimated his mother, as he had never believed she would write some other thing besides poems on her storybooks. They opened the door together, helping each other to push it as it was incredibly heavy. Before them was a large hall that led towards a wide room, where a white piano covered in dust was resting. Jade rushed towards it without saying a word, but Natalia believed she'd managed to listen a small gasp escaping from his lips when he caught a glimpse of it.

The princess looked around, finding old pieces of armor, more books and some paintings hanging on the walls. The books were mostly novels once again, but their topics were a lot more adult-oriented than the ones outside, on the studio. Natalia laughed, as she imagined that Mrs. Balfour decided to keep them away from Nephry once she hit puberty. She turned her sight towards Jade once again, who was removing some of the dust from the piano as he creaked open the case. He was speechless, but he had a short smile on his face. His expression showed a lot of nostalgia and a tint of remorse or sadness, but she believed he was happy they'd found the piano after all those years.

"Do you know how to play it?" Natalia asked, leaning closed after a few minutes in which she just contemplated him for a while.

"No. In comparison to my mother and Nephry, I had no musical talent. I tried, but it never worked for me" His smile turned bitter. "One could say it was part of the irony of being unable to control the seventh fonon."

"It has nothing to do with it." the princess laughed, sitting on the piano's stool besides him. "If you just practiced…" She gestured the piano, asking for permission to play it, and Jade complied with a single nod. She'd taken some music classes during her youth, even if it had been several years from that, she still remembered the basics of the harmony. After some time, Natalia stopped playing the song and started again, but this time she paused herself almost as soon as she began.

"It's really simple, just follow my lead… come on…" Jade sighed and rolled his eyes, but he decided it was better to do as she said if he didn't wish to be reminded how he had given up so easily on something so banal. He imitated her, and just as she said, it was incredibly simple. The problem was doing it on his own, or worst of all, improvisation was his biggest issue. She didn't seem to mind, Natalia kept playing slowly for him to follow up. The princess knew he'd not learn how to play on his own, but she enjoyed having Jade's company on something she really liked and was good at doing so.

They'd just been a little over a week together, and she'd gotten to know more of him that she'd ever bargained for. During the first days of their stay, she'd been thinking on how much she wanted to go back and fix things on her own. Even Jade insisted she looked desperate to return to Kimlasca, but his comments on that matter decreased as the days went by. Perhaps Natalia had come to accept the fact that she had to stay put until news came from the outside, or perhaps she was coming to accept the fact that she was enjoying herself as she took a rest from all the stress her position brought.

Even so, she wished to go back. With the storm as it was at the moment, any news from their friends or her father would arrive with several days of delay. She was desperate. On the other hand, she couldn't deny she'd been having a good time in Keterburg. To her demise, the fact that Jade was with her made it all better. Never, not even in a thousand years would she believed that would turn out to be true.

"May I ask you something, Princess?" He pondered when Natalia finished the song.

"Go for it."

"I didn't believe you'd pay this much attention to me during the trip and I keep wondering why. I had hoped you'd go around on your own or lock yourself in your room, pouting on how much you wish to go back to Baticul…"

"I guess it is because I do not enjoy being alone, like I know you do. I-if it bothers you I can ask Nephry to…"

"No, don't get it wrong. I've… been enjoying it myself too." He glanced away from her as he admitted it. "It just makes me wonder what has pushed you to go this far."

Natalia turned around slightly, she was able to see the sharp features of his face and even the few wrinkles that had formed around his eyes. She smiled, leaning a bit closer.

"I believed it was obvious. It's because I like you." She understood it might have sounded slightly different to him, at least with some other connotations behind her words, but she meant it in the most innocent way possible. "You're my friend… and I'm going to marry you after all. Even if I had to pick you because I had no other choice… I believe I'd not have it any other way."

"Huh… so that's how it is." Jade turned around to face her, his eyes were slightly open with surprise. Natalia imitated his expression, noticing he'd gotten quite close to her when he fixed his position. "I never imagined you'd have answered that. I thought you were going to say because you'd have gotten bored quite quickly."

"Perhaps." She admitted. "But it's been pleasant to be around you. You have been very kind, you're amusing, smart and fun… I don't know. You might have wanted to hear something else, but I really like you. That's it."

"Unexpected as it is, I'm glad to hear it." He admitted as well, closing his eyes in a mixture of disbelief and a slight surge of shame. Was he really spiraling down into this madness, with a woman half his age? He hated to admit it. He felt the same as her. "I like it too."

It wasn't the first time they'd been this close, after having a serious conversation minutes prior to the instant they noticed they were inches apart from each other. The difference was past time Peony walked into their room. That evening they were locked inside the mansion because of the storm and they were actually inside one of the hidden rooms of the house. Not even the servants would be able to interrupt. The wind roared outside, but none of them were paying attention to their surroundings anymore.

Once again, that creeping curiosity of touching her invaded the Necromancer's mind… how soft would her lips be, or how firm would her hands feel against his skin? He knew he wasn't the only one having those craving feelings, as Natalia's hands hanged idle between the piano and the empty space between their bodies. Her fingers were curled into a fist, and they clenched and unclenched almost unconsciously every once in a while. She was filled with doubt, and he waited patiently, curiously, for her next movement. If it weren't for the fact he was just as anxious as her for their next action, he'd have been able to do as per usual.

But he hated it. Jade loathed that feeling of non-satiated doubt, of uncertainty and fear of the upcoming future. He'd always been patient, but he had one visible and easily recognizable weakness: he hated delay with a burning passion. Being a man of science, he knew he'd got to get things done if he wanted anything to go his way. His blood boiled with anger when fate decided to take things away, getting them postponed for another undefined time. It usually bothered him when it came to an experiment or a simple task, rarely when it came to people. But that wasn't the first time he'd craved to _have_ Natalia for himself and his desires had been delayed. Jade wasn't a sensitive man, he rarely felt any sort of passion if he didn't process it through logic and reason first. That evening wasn't the case: he kissed her.

Unable to hold her doubting any longer, he reached out for her unsteady hands and pulled her closer to him, placing his lips atop of hers. Natalia's reaction was that of surprise, but she didn't push him or fight back. She kissed him back, her longing for affection was finally responded. In the back of her mind, she knew they both were probably compensating for a long-held loneliness, which they were filling with each other. It didn't matter anymore: she had him, and she was all his, for no one had ever held her with such tenderness, no one had ever kissed her so eagerly.

Natalia's lips were soft, but she kissed rougher than he had imagined, though Jade admitted he had to expect that coming from her. Her mouth was voracious, even violent at times when she unexpectedly bit his lower lip and pulled him closer with her kiss. He had to respond in the same fashion, rough but kind with his caresses, aggressive but loving when he briefly stopped to stare at her, hug her tightly, and then proceed with the kiss.

Suddenly, neither of them were able to keep balance between thought and passion, between roughness and gentleness. Jade's hands drifted from her back to her hips, as he kept pulling the princess' body closer and closer. Natalia responded, fixing her legs around his waist, kneeling over his tights with her hands grabbing firmly into his jawline and pulling slightly from his hair when she deemed necessary. She'd heard several moans coming out from both of their mouths, but it wasn't until the Princess felt Jade's lips on her jawline and her neck, along with a large groan escaping from her throat, that her consciousness kicked Natalia back into her senses.

"S-stop…" she muttered pushing him away for the first time. "N-not now, Jade, please…"

He didn't respond, but in his eyes she noticed he had realized how far he had taken things. There was no regret, but a strange mixture of fulfillment and embarrassment. She didn't felt wronged, but it had gone any longer, both of them would have regretted it. Natalia stood up from the stool and backed off a few steps, staring at him with awe. His breathing was unsteady, and his cheeks were slightly flustered, but his eyes kept a firm and decided look on them. She knew Jade wanted this… he _wanted_ her. The thought of it made a shiver run down her spine, both in excitement and fear. The Princess turned around and exited the room. She headed upstairs towards her room and locked herself inside. She needed a break and a breather, and she wished with all her heart the storm would be over soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are several cameos in this story I'd like to point out: First, Victor! Nephry's husband, who was mentioned in the past chapter, takes his name from Tales of Xillia's 2 Victor, Elle's father. He's got an antagonistic role later in the game (I'm trying not to spoil you here in case you've not played ToX2), which is why I took his name for Count Osborne. Second, Emeraude! She's a character from Tales of Graces, a green-haired woman with questionable intentions. She was once a scientist and because of her ambitions, she suffered from an accident that left her tied to a wheelchair, she later constructs an artificial body to walk arround. I felt she tied in with the gemstone-naming the scientists from Jade's past had (Sapphir, Jasper Cadogan from the manga, Jade himself...), and she fit the type of women Jade would like, being Nebilim and Natalia the other two in the list. And at last, Izumi Curtiss, Jade's sister from her adoptive family in this story. It's never outspoken in the game anything about the Curtiss family, rather than they are a renowed branch of soldiers form the empire. Yet, I knew of another strong, powerful and constantly snarky character from a very famous anime who shares his last name, and I couldn't help myself. It also fits the story that Izumi Curtis from Full Metal Alchemist had lost a child and tried to bring him back with alchemy. Much like Jade did with fomicry. Oh, well. Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading up until now.


	8. Light in the Dark

_Day twelve_

The mailman managed to get to the front door to bring a couple of letters that were forwarded as urgent. The storm was quieter that morning, but it'd still be a couple of days until everything returned to normal. Natalia understood why they were mailed immediately as soon as she saw the names: one was from her father, and the other one was from Tear. Both letters were brief, but they had more than enough information to keep Natalia's hopes up. Her father's letter was longer, asking for her wellbeing and informing her that their time to return to Baticul would probably come after the weather conditions had cleared.

The King did not specify the reasons, which made Natalia assume they were mentioned on Tear's letter. It was only three paragraphs long, each one consisting of brief sentences with very rigid punctuation. _Tear definitely wrote this…_ Natalia thought to herself as she read the message carefully. She informed they had found a very solid trail, non-surprisingly related to one of the noble families from Kimlasca. What turned out to be shocking was the fact that said family had close bonds with the Order of Lorelei. While meddling with some business during the investigation, they apparently found out another lead that revealed the family had been supporters of Van's ideals, or that was the case until Moss' death. They still had some things to clear out, but Tear assured they were about to find the truth about the strike in Yulia City. Once they were completely sure, Noelle or Guy would pick them up as soon as possible. On a more positive note, still rigid and serious as Tear used to write, she asked how had she been faring with Jade so far. She wished to know if something had happened, or if she'd decided to go on with the engagement after having to spend almost two weeks alone with him.

"Oh Tear… if you only knew." Natalia muttered under her breath, folding the paper and placing it inside the envelope again. She considered taking breakfast as she answered both letters in front of the chimney, so she went out of the room towards the first floor.

A loud noise startled the princess on her way to the living room, which came from the kitchen. She turned around with the letters still in hand, and found Jade picking up the pieces of a large, shattered glass vase and the scattered remains of a flower bouquet. He wasn't hurt, but he had a disgusted look on his face.

"What happened?" She asked, helping him to clean up and making sure he hadn't cut himself. He glanced at her, his eyes still filled with embarrassment from the day before, which made Natalia stop her check-out.

"I didn't sleep well last night and I can't seem to concentrate today." The Necromancer spoke abruptly. "For the letters on the table, I assume you also received mail today. The storm is subsiding slowly… I guess we'll be making our way back to our lives soon."

"Yes, certainly." Natalia admitted, slightly worried. Returning to Baticul obviously implied taking her responsibilities back. "I'm going to miss this place; it has been a wonderful experience."

"You can come whenever you want." Jade muttered with a bothered voice. "The house is yours, remember? I'm sure the people of Kimlasca can manage without their Princess if she wants to take a break once in a while." Something in his tone made Natalia uneasy… he almost sounded angry at her.

"Is something wrong, Jade?" She asked, mostly to take the worry off of her chest. She obviously knew what was making him act harshly towards her, but she wanted to hear him say it.

"It's nothing, Princess." He grunted, picking up some of the roses that were still in good shape. Natalia glanced at the flowers, troubled, as she didn't remember the bouquet being in the kitchen for the past three days. They must have arrived with the mail Jade received. "In case you were wondering where these came from…" It was as if he had read her mind. "I ordered them from the flower shop the same day we went to visit my parents' grave, but they managed to send them until today. I, uh... these were for you, actually."

Natalia assumed he had wanted to give them to her as a thank-you gift from her attention and her reassurance that evening, but nothing had happened between them yet. It was still unusual for Jade to be giving gifts to anyone, but she imagined that as she'd already touched some sensitive spots, he might as well value the fact Natalia knew how to keep a secret.

"You're not being yourself today, you know?" She pondered, trying to avoid the situation that had happened past evening. "Changing the subject… do you think it's possible to go outside?"

"Not right now, perhaps after midday. Right now the weather is still hazardous and the wind keeps blowing violently. Be patient." He said, sounding thankful that Natalia avoided touching yesterday's events. Yet, he seemed troubled by them, the princess could notice his uneasiness.

Natalia asked the maids to bring them something to eat for the moment, and she insisted on asking if he knew when they'd be able to go back to their normal lives. Jade mentioned that Peony's letter didn't say a date, but the Emperor estimated just a couple more days before someone sent an Albiore to pick them up. To Natalia's surprise, Jade admitted he'd miss having free time as well, almost implying he'd actually miss spending time _with her_. He finally had the time to think many things that kept him stressed, which he was unable to fix because of his usual labors; he also said it had been many years since he had taken a vacation, which had been nice for a change.

"Well, once we marry I'll make sure you take a break or two more often." Natalia said nonchalantly, but she noticed Jade had flinched from her comment, his shocked eyes had betrayed him quickly. "I… I'm sorry, I didn't want to bring it up…"

"No, don't worry. Thanks for the concern, Princess." He poured some more tea on his cup, recovering his composure as he spoke. "Let's not talk about it for now, do you agree?" Natalia nodded, nibbling on a biscuit as he refilled her cup as well. "I have to ask… do you want to do something else before we go back? I have no idea if I'll be able to come back to Keterburg anytime soon… I guess you could ask Nephry to show you around, but I guess I have to be a gentleman and ask myself as your host for this occasion."

"I actually had two things in mind. I guess you're not going to like one of them…" Natalia admitted, looking out from the window into the snowy landscape outside. "I want to have a day out with you. Nephry told me that after a harsh snow, the lake on the outskirts of the city freezes completely."

"You want to go skating?" Jade asked with skepticism, perhaps expecting a much more complicated request from his fiancée.

"I… I actually want you to teach me. Nephry also said you were great at it, so..." The princess said sheepishly. Jade let out a brief laughter.

"Ok, I'll try my best. I just hope you don't cut me with the blades or break a leg while trying. I don't watn to explain that to your father… or Peony, for that matter. In exchange from my services, I want to take you out for dinner."

"Wh-what?" His request had been completely unexpected.

"There is a really nice restaurant near the lake that makes the best hot pot in town and they have many great desserts. I used to go there with Peony and Nephry when we skipped school, or whenever I came to pay a visit to my parents. I think you may like it."

"Ok, sounds like a plan… but I wanted to ask for something else. If you don't want to go, just tell me how to get there and I-"

"What is it?" He asked, turning completely serious.

"I…" Natalia sighed, fixing her position in the chair. "I know Dist is interned in a sanatorium here in Keterburg." Jade opened his eyes wide and shook his head in disagreement, but the Princess continued before he could complain. "Anise mentioned his whereabouts once and I assumed he'd been locked here to prevent him from harming anyone, including himself. I never had the chance to talk to him, but… given the fact of what's going to happen when…" She gestured at both of them, without referring to the topic directly. "I want to speak to him."

"Why?" It was the only thing Jade said, no smile on his lips. The princess shrugged in response.

"I don't know. I guess I need to clear some things off my mind, that's why I'm telling you I can go on my own, if you do not wish to come." She explained. Deep inside her, she was curious about Jade's relationship with Dist. Most of the time, the Necromancer always spoke ill of the God-General, but Natalia knew she could not take Jade's word for granted when he spoke jokingly about anything. Dist was one of those unfortunate people Jade never talked serious about.

"I guess there's no saying no to you. Why don't you visit the roach today and we go skating tomorrow, then dinner?" Jade asked, picking a pen and paper. He wrote the address to the sanatorium and drew a small guiding map for her to find the place in case he didn't accompany her during the visit. He told her to say she wanted to visit Sapphir on his name, so that they'd give her access to the sanatorium. Something inside him told Jade not to go with her, but he already knew she'd force him to do so. He handed her the paper and examined the princess carefully.

Another thing that had always bothered him about Natalia was that unexplainable curiosity of hers and all the trouble it had caused. With the passing of the years, he had come to tolerate it, but during the past days, he had noted he also fixed his mind upon things that grasped his attention and he wouldn't let go until he had an explanation… just like Natalia did. He wasn't sure anymore if he hated all of it or if he was starting to love finding those similarities between them so often.

* * *

Natalia had never been to a sanatorium before, not even during her charity missions in Kimlasca. The long, wooden door closed the entrance to a four-floor stone building, with metal fences and security guards surrounding the area. She gulped, as she knocked twice at the door with the heavy brass handle. The storm kept blowing, but just as Jade had said earlier, the wind had started to die and the snow begun to settle. She shivered slightly from the cold and caressed her sides to bring some heat into her body, as she waited for someone to open the door.

A large man with thick clothing received her and as soon as he recognized Natalia, he let her in. The guard walked her to the main office, where the woman in charge told her that Nephry had sent a memo days earlier, saying that an important member of the Kimlascan kingdom was visiting the town. They'd never imagined it'd be her. The Princess explained the reason of her visit, to which the chief and the guard looked at each other, concerned. Natalia asked if there was anything wrong, and the woman said General Gneiss was only allowed visits from high-ranking members of Malkuth's army.

"She's with me." Jade's voice called from behind, which startled Natalia. Both the guard and the chief looked surprised, but they recognized him immediately and greeted him with décor. Immediately after, they let them both through and told them to wait at a large room with several tables in the middle. Each table had a pair of cuffs on one side, to prevent the inmates from running away or causing any harm on the visitors. Natalia considered it cruel, but she understood the reasons they were placed there. The place had a strong aura of melancholy and solitude which she greatly disliked.

Within a couple of minutes, the guards brought Dist into the room, who looked dumbfounded when his eyes fixed upon Jade. He took a lot more time to notice Natalia's presence, but he was just as startled when he realized who were his visitors.

"What are you doing here?!" He exclaimed with a rough tone, confused. He had changed a lot during the three years Natalia had not seen him. His hair was shorter and he wore no makeup this time. His skin looked paler, and his eyes were a lot more sunk, perhaps because he had become skinnier. His mental health seemed to be damaging his physical status as well.

"Hello, Dist." Natalia said with compassion, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"She wanted to talk to you, I have no reason to be here." Jade grunted abruptly, then turned his back and walked towards the door. "You both need to be under my supervision, but I'll be in the hall if anything happens. Call if you need anything, Nat."

"S-sure." She said sheepishly, but Dist tried to get up from his chair to stop him. The guards made him sit down a bit harshly, then they walked off of the room. "Dist, would you mind to share a couple of words with me for a while?" She asked kindly, which seemed to calm the former God-General a bit.

"The fact that Jade's here confirms the rumors that have been going around the town… is it true?" He said abruptly. "Nephry mentioned something on her last visit, but I didn't want to believe it… it can't be true, right, Princess Natalia?!"

"I'd gladly tell you if it's true or not if you explained me what rumors you've heard." Natalia pondered if her suspicions were true. Perhaps those rumors were affecting his health in many ways. She didn't know if it would do him any good knowing the truth.

"Jade got married, didn't he?!" Dist asked, frustration filled every word he spoke. "I never imagined he'd abandon us like that… he promised he wouldn't… do you know her, Princess? They said she was someone important."

"Dist… no, Sapphir, listen." She grabbed his hands, which startled him. Perhaps that was the first time in years someone touched him with kindness. "Jade and I are…"

"No!" His eyes opened wide in surprise as he was hit with realisation. "Tell me he didn't… you?!"

"Not yet." Natalia interrupted, trying not to alert him even more. "It was Emperor Peony's proposal; we've been talking about it for a couple of months." The princess sighed, letting go of his hand and sitting up straight in her chair. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you personally, I hope you want to listen to me."

"No… no… it can't be true. Why would he marry you? Why is he not trying to bring her back again?! Why?! He promised... he said he wouldn't... he said he wouldn't leave me..." He seemed to be trying to release his hands from the cuffs, which made Natalia worry deeply. The guards were not around and Jade was just outside the room, but she didn't want to call him, especially when Dist was having a breakdown.

"Sapphir… relax, it's going to be fine." Natalia rose herself from the seat and grabbed his face carefully, trying not to be harsh. She tried her best to smile so that he'd not feel threatened. "Breathe slowly, please, let me talk first, ok?"

"O-ok…"

"Listen… Jade has been having a hard time trying to move on from Professor Nebilim's passing for many years. After the events with Van in Eldrant, I believe he finally managed to finish the chapter in his life, he gave a first step, but all these years he's been battling with many inner demons, just like you." Sapphir nodded, his breath suddenly became a lot steadier. "I really hope you're able to do the same."

Natalia lowered the tone of her voice, so that Jade would not hear anything even from the entrance. The thing she was about to ask might be a little bit risqué, but she didn't mind. If that managed to make Dist trust her for a while, it'd be more than enough. She asked if he had any idea of the Score readings Jade had when he was younger. Dist answered he had no idea, to which Natalia didn't explain much, but she gave a brief resume on the matter. Dist looked confused, he didn't understand why was the princess telling him all that.

"He may not show it… but he loves you a lot, Sapphir." His eyes widened in awe and confusion once again. Perhaps all the years of rivalry and childish torture and abuse were an obstacle for him to believe Natalia's words. "I've told the same to Nephry, she had the same reaction as you did. Of course, he's cold, irritating and pesky like 95% of the time, but he's been trying to avoid something terrible to happen to all of you."

"He's… moving on, right?" He whispered in a much normal tone Natalia had ever heard him talk. "The Professor is not coming back… I guess." His eyes focused on hers for the first time during the visit. He had an intense gaze, which made Natalia shiver slightly. "May I ask you something, Your Highness?" Natalia nodded with curiosity. "Why are you doing this…? Talking to me, I mean…"

"I wanted to talk to you for a long time since we got here. I've known so many parts of Jade that are mostly secret to everyone else… I guess I wanted to share a bit of it with you, even if he doesn't want me to do so. I don't know how to make your situation better, but if this talk manages to help you in any way, I think I'd be good for the two of us."

Jade entered the room, glancing coldly at Dist, but he grabbed Natalia's shoulder with affection. It seemed he was doing it on purpose, as if to make his childhood friend jealous.

"Time's up, Princess. I'm sorry." He said, gesturing her towards the exit.

"It's fine, we were already done."

"Wait! Can I have just a couple of seconds with her, please?" Dist asked desperately, but he sounded a lot more coherent than before. He managed to stand with his hands still cuffed to the table.

"A minute." Jade conceded with a severe voice, and he walked out again without any further ado.

"… at least he's cut the insults and the bad words." He admitted with an excited tone. "I see you're being a positive influence on Jade, Princess Natalia. But… why are you taking him? I… I guess you could have much better than him."

"I considered my options, but he was the best choice I had." She answered briefly. Dist nodded, trying to elaborate on her answer however short it was.

"No… I-I guess I was talking about, ahhm… do you love him?" Dist watched her expression change from comprehensive to confused to startled in just a couple of seconds. "For what i've seen... you're putting too much effort into making an arranged marriage work."

"I like him." She said with honesty, yet she was unsure that was the answer Dist was looking for. "Perhaps I like him more than I initially imagined. Truth to be told…" She lowered her voice once again. "I don't know if he likes me back or if he's just going with the flow. Whichever way it is, I… I guess I'll have to see where it takes us eventually."

The God-General smiled, a melancholic gesture that denoted his loneliness and his deteriorated state of mind. He almost looked resigned, as if he had just admitted everything that kept haunting him was just a bad dream. Natalia noticed a slight spark of hope and cheerfulness lighting up inside him.

"He's blessed to have you at his side, Your Majesty. I hope he learns to appreciate it. Thanks for the talk." For the first time since he sat in front of her, perhaps ever since she met him, Sapphir looked and sounded like a sane man.

* * *

_Day thirteen_

The ice rink was filled with little children with thick clothes and ice skates on their feet. A few adults sat on the benches surrounding the lake, and a pair of young students dashed around the frozen surface grabbing each other's hand. Natalia struggled to tie her skates, as her coat didn't allow her to flex freely towards her legs.

"Need help?" Jade asked, just as he finished tying his and managed to gain balance on the ground with the blades on.

"No, I can do it, it's just… ugh!" The princess got to reach one of her feet and tied the laces quickly, fixing the boot as fast as she could.

"I'll go on ahead; I have to check where's sturdier for you to practice." He said with a chuckle and Natalia watched him enter the rink with ease.

Ever since they met, Natalia knew Jade had some sort of entrancing aura towards him. Past his mean demeanor and his usual pestering, he was quite captivating as a man, not only for his physical features, but for his mannerisms and his own behavior. He rested between the point of delicate elegance and faint manliness, which made him quite attractive if one managed to ignore the fact that he was unbearable once he opened his mouth.

Watching him move on the ice rink only confirmed Natalia's perception of him further. He dashed swiftly though the surface of the lake, keeping balance with his arms, he even managed to do it backwards without looking behind for obstacles. Perhaps he'd done this for so long he'd quite mastered how to do it; people were even starting to look at him, even the adults, who Natalia assumed would be just as good as him, having living all of their lives in Keterburg. What amazed her the most was the fact that Jade seemed to be having a lot of fun by himself.

"Ready?" He asked, coming back to where she was sitting patiently. "Here, give me your hands… woah, careful!" Natalia managed to stand up, but the moment she put one skate on the ice, her feet betrayed her and she almost slipped into the floor. He caught her and helped her keep her balance, but Natalia was having a lot of trouble barely standing up on the ice.

"You make it look so easy! It's hard as f-!"

"Mind your language, there are kids around." He laughed. He had always liked how angry and quite vulgar she got when she got frustrated, very un-lady-like. "It's hard if you're not used to it, but you'll get it eventually. Hold onto me as hard as you need, if you feel you're falling down, tell me beforehand so I can help you."

"You know? It's weird to see you teaching something…" She grabbed onto his arm fiercely and let herself be pulled for a while, until he told her to slide with one leg and let the momentum push her on the ring. When she felt she was going to lose track on the ice, she had to slide her other leg.

"I don't like teaching, I've told you before… let go slightly of my arm, just grab my hand… use your arms to balance yourself as you move… yes like that, good." He answered and continued instructing her. It was hard, but Natalia started to get the basics of it.

"You're really good at it." She muttered, holding onto his arm again when she felt her balance fail. "It's a shame I can't do this at home. It never snows in Baticul and the closest thing we have to a river is a dangerous swa—Oh oh oooooh!" She didn't know how to rotate so that they could turn around the corner, which made her lose control of her weight and she almost tripped violently against the benches on the edge of the lake. Jade managed to pull her before she hit the ground, carrying her slightly off of the ground by the waist. She managed to see he had also lost his balance a bit, but he managed to fix it immediately and pull her out of the curve of the lake, back into a straight line.

"You're going to get us killed, Princess." Jade grunted almost out of breath. He stopped to recover from the sudden effort, still helping her to keep her balance with a hand on her waist. People around them seemingly started to recognize them, a few of the adults greeted him on the way and saluted Natalia with property. Some of them had started to chatter, possibly about them. The word on their engagement had surely already spread, but at the moment, it was running like a wild fire. Natalia sighed, with a tired expression on her face.

"Wouldn't be the first time… if you want to stop we could-"

"No, it's fine, it's just been a long time since I've done this. If it makes you feel any better, you've learnt faster than Peony and Nephry."

"You also taught them how to skate?" Natalia asked, as they continued practicing. This time, Jade decided to go backwards and took both of the princess' hands so that she'd be able to hold onto him when they had to turn around on the rink.

"Nephry is my younger sister, we sort of learned together, but I was slightly more experienced because of age. When the emperor came here to hide, he was just as curious as you about the town. It's basically impossible to skate in Grand Chokmah and he had never been to Keterburgh before, so I had to teach him. I uh… I even tried to teach Sapphir at one point, but he was a lost cause." He explained, pulling her a little closer by flexing his arms.

"You're really good." Natalia admitted, as they turned into the corner without any incidents. "Do you know how to make spins and all those amazing tricks?"

"Haha, how strange it is to imagine myself doing those things." He laughed, as he let go of one of her hands and pushed himself to her side, still holding her in case she tripped again. "To be honest I've never tried, but no, I can't as far as I know."

"Thanks for coming with me, Jade… it's been really fun. I never imagined you'd be this good at- WATCH OUT!" She screamed just as a small kid had fallen right in front of them. To avoid hitting him, the Necromancer pushed her to get her out of the kid's way, so she'd not cut him with the blades, but she didn't let go of Jade's arm and pulled him down with her immediately. The force of the impact made Natalia fall backwards, to which her partner reacted quickly and managed to stop her from hitting the ice with the back of her head, tumbling atop of her instead of colliding to her side. Jade grunted in pain as he felt the cold and the pain burning his arms, but he immediately opened his eyes to see Natalia stay still beneath him for a prolonged period of time, which worried him deeply.

"Goddamnit, Natalia! Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"Mind your language, there are kids around" she hissed with a pained expression, but then she laughed as she noticed he was on top of her with a worried expression, trying to make her come back into consciousness. She blushed slightly, but then she pushed him off and tried to move forward. "Ahhh it's cold!" She stuttered, trying to get up, only to fall down again.

"Wait, I'll help you… does it hurt?" He got up in a swift movement and picked her up from her waist, grabbing one of her hands for support.

"I'm fine, I just- agh, my back is aching a lot right now." She held into his coat and his arms, as he managed to bring her out of the rink. "I think it's going to bruise, but I'll be fine."

"It's normal to fall on your first try, thankfully you didn't hit your head." He knelt in front of her and helped her untie the skates. She thanked him for that and for saving her from hitting the kid and smashing against the ice head first. "I'm afraid we won't be able to continue for today; another hit might get you a concussion."

"I understand, don't worry. Just promise we'll come back another time and give it another try." She said with a smile, caressing her arms to make the cold go away. "Is the restaurant far away from here? I'm not sure I can walk normally"

"No, it's over the next block from here, you can see the entrance from here. Can you stand?" Natalia nodded, but she stumbled with her own weight a couple of times. Jade decided it was better to work as her support at least until they reached the restaurant, so he placed an arm behind her back, trying not to hurt her with the pressure, and lifted her weight slightly so that she'd not have to put all the burden on her legs. He sighed almost out of breath, he had never imagined he'd have to take care of the Princess in such a way. She surely was high-maintenance, just like royalty.

The owner of the restaurant apparently knew Jade from a very long time, just as he had said, he used to come there all the time. The moment he saw the two of them entering the place, he immediately greeted them and asked what had happened, if Natalia was alright and what was Jade doing in Keterburg at that time of the year. The Necromancer explained their current situation briefly, not going into too much detail, but the owner and his wife, who joined the conversation later on, rejoiced on having them both at their restaurant once again. They congratulated them on their engagement, to which neither of them seemed particularly cheerful about, yet the couple insisted the desserts were on the house for the occasion.

"It looks delicious!" Natalia said when the waitress brought the beef stew with seasoned vegetables Jade had picked for the two of them. Natalia had also asked for a seafood pasta, which had a really nice smell. Jade's curry rice also looked tasty, the Princess took a couple of spoons from his dish during the meal. "It surely is one of the best places in town."

"I think it's only rivaled by the cuisine at the resort, actually. I like this one a lot more." He said, sipping from his glass of wine.

"I can see why you came here all the time. Thanks for sharing this with me, Jade, I really appreciate all of it." Natalia had wondered for a while why had he been so open with her, why had he wanted to show all of his favorite parts of his hometown to her? Jade was a lone wolf, he didn't like people and he enjoyed doing things on his own. It seemed illogical he'd want to spend that much time with her, no matter if they had become close friends along the years. If he was going with the flow, like Natalia believed he had been doing all along, he surely was good at adapting himself. Even if it was evident there was a lot of physical attraction between them, it didn't mean he had to be this kind.

Only for the first days of their trip, he'd actually looked forward to have time of his own, but he eventually dedicated it to clean and fix the manor, which was a gift for her in some way or another. He'd gone several times to visit his parents' graves, but he stopped doing so because of the storm, and as far as Natalia knew, he'd not gone again the past two days since the weather cleared. Jade had actually been making an effort to spend time with her. The simple thought of it made the princess blush slightly.

"There's something that's been bothering me all along, Nat." He said after a few moments of silence. "I think I've asked you before, but I believed you were going to be thrashing about going back to Kimlasca ever since we set foot on the boat. So far, it seems you've been enjoying yourself on our little trip."

"Huh, how curious. I was just thinking the same thing about you, Jade. I believed you were going to be a lot more irritable, that you'd drive me crazy by day five. You've actually been really nice to me. I guess the two of us have been acting weird as of lately, don't you think?"

"Maybe you're right, but you haven't answered yet. Why didn't you complain all along?"

"Perhaps is the wine talking in my stead," She said, glancing at the glass in front of her, which was her second drink that evening. In comparison to her partner, she wasn't as good at holding her alcohol. "But I don't actually want to go back to Kimlasca."

"Really? That's quite unexpected… You were throwing a tantrum at your poor father the night we left I imagined you'd love to escape this place as soon as possible. You don't seem too eager that they're picking us up in two days, either." Jade had an eyebrow raised as he kept drinking, he was actually puzzled because any of it was a normal behavior coming from his friend.

"Once we're back, I'll have to face reality one more time. I'll have to keep my word to my father, to my people, and I'm not sure I want to. It's too much to take… besides, there's still the fact that those responsibilities include… well, you." She kept glancing at her almost empty plate in front of her, unable to make eye-contact with him. "During these days I've been having so much fun, getting to know you to a whole different level. It has certainly been a great trip."

"What is it?" He asked, after Natalia kept silence for almost a minute. The waitress took the plates away and before Natalia answered, she brought a large piece of hot apple tart with chocolate syrup and a bottle of berry liquor, which shined in a bright red color once Jade poured it on their cups, still waiting for an answer.

"…I've been feeling you're loathing this trip really badly. Even if I've enjoyed myself like a child, I feel like I've been a burden to you." She glanced towards him, and strangely she had a sad smile on her face, but her eyes seemed like they were about to water at any moment. "All this time I've been making up my mind on the idea that I'll have to marry you, it's been crazy to accept it. But as far as we've been together these weeks, I've also noticed I do not care about all the negative things I already know about you… about us. I like you, Jade, I really do." Natalia sighed, taking a large sip from the liquor. "But all this time, I've also been conscious you do not like being with others, you do not like relationships, you do not like marriage. I'm sure you must not like me as well, after all, I'm forcing you to commit to a cause you hate."

Jade remained silent as she spoke, and when she paused, he just sighed and waited for her to continue. He'd be lying if he said he had adapted to the idea of marrying. However, after what happened two days before, he wasn't sure he would be able to tell Natalia she was completely right. That kiss had proven he was just as invested in her as the Princess was for him. He liked her, but she had a point: perhaps he didn't want her the way Natalia expected.

"I… I don't want to call it off. I want to marry you." She admitted, now flushed as red as the liquor on her cup. "But if my decision makes you as miserable as I believe you feel, I don't want to force you to do it. I don't want to go back because I'll have to face the fact that I have to let you go. I-I'm sure father will understand; I'll look for another suitor… I just don't want to chain you to this responsibility I have to carry-"

Without letting her finish her sentence, Jade reached out forwards to grab her by the shoulders. He kissed her again, as an attempt to avoid her from shedding tears. Natalia didn't say another word afterwards. She stared at him in confusion, his eyes fixed on her intensely. She kept holding his hands on her own as if expecting him to get up and go away at any moment, but he didn't let go. He kissed her once more, this time pulling her closer before doing so by dragging his chair towards hers. His hands drove up to her neck to keep her as close as possible, then he held her in a tight embrace, caressing her hair slowly.

"I already said I'd do it. If you want to do it, I'm in. You may be right, you may be a lot more invested in this… marriage… a lot more than me, but I plan on keeping my promise to you." He unclutched her, but didn't move the chair back to its place. He held her hands once again, but this time he lashed his fingers with hers. "All the things I did during our time here, were so that we'd not be complete strangers by the time we had to go back. I knew we've already taken a decision, perhaps not the best one, nor the one we liked the most, but we'd have to live with it. You didn't end up going crazy and I actually enjoyed being around you for two weeks. That says a lot about the compromise."

"You weren't being as obnoxious with me these days, in my defense. If you'd been as annoying as you always are, I'd have killed you a week ago." She said with a laughter, tasting the tart for the first time. It was just as exquisite as the meal, even if it had turned slightly cold for the time they had left it untouched.

"I can say the same to you. If you'd been pouting all along I'd have thrown you out of the house in the middle of the storm." He laughed, taking a bite of the pie as well. "How's about you finish the tart quickly and we take the bottle back at home? We have to get back early to get ready for tomorrow, they could arrive during the evening if Peony's timing was right. Besides, it'll be our last night here, we better make something out of it."

Natalia agreed, noticing Jade's unusual suggestion on that last sentence. She didn't know if he had meant it in that sense, but she believed her intuition to be correct. If it weren't, she'd find out sooner or later. After paying the bill, they took the liquor and another bottle of wine back home. For her pacing, Jade noticed the Princess had a little bit more than she could handle. At least she was no longer complaining about the pain in her back and the cold, and she didn't seem down anymore.

* * *

Natalia managed to stumble into the living room on her own, where she took off her coat and her gloves. The maids had already gone home since Jade decided it'd be better to dismiss them before going to the lake, because they'd not be needing their services anymore until their departure. When they arrived, the house was completely empty and silent. The Necromancer followed her towards the living room after picking up two glasses from the kitchen, still carrying the wine and the bottle of liquor under his arm. The room was dark, even if the curtains were open. He decided it'd be better to light the fireplace because if they didn't have a source of light anywhere close, Natalia would fall asleep in ten minutes.

"Hey, what's going to happen to the house once we leave?" She asked, pouring both of them another glass as Jade fixed the logs he immediately lit with a fonic arte. "Will it be abandoned again?"

"Nephry told me she'd send someone to clean each week, but as long as you're not paying a visit, it will remain closed." He answered, sitting in front of her in the stool from the chaise longue.

"Oh, it's a shame. The house is lovely, I bet it'd have been great living here as a child." She said, looking at the mesmerizing flames of the chimney. The crisping sound of the logs burning was very relaxing, the warmth it irradiated turned the room into a cozy atmosphere.

"It was." Jade admitted, clasping his hands around the thin neck of the glass. "At times at least."

His eyes darted towards Natalia, who had raised her legs up to her chest and held them against it with the hand she held her cup. He had no way of denying the princess had some striking features on her persona, and her legs were definitely a spotlight at the moment, covered in her white silk stockings. Every time she shifted positions, moving her knees closer to her chest or spreading them slightly, he couldn't help but stare from the corner of his eyes. Slightly ashamed, Jade turned his sight towards the glass, fixing his glasses from slipping down his nose bridge. He had no idea if she was doing it on purpose, but if she was, it was definitely working.

"… hey, are you listening?"

"What? I'm sorry, I got lost in thought."

"That's unusual. I was asking you what are we going to do about the situation in Yulia City once we go back…" She lowered her legs, but moved forwards to see him closer. The chiffon on her sleeves and the neck of her dress was slightly translucent, the V-shape on her chest became even more pronounced when she leaned down, to which Jade had to avert his gaze once again. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, don't mind me. Age keeps getting its grip on me, you'll start to understand it soon, Princess." He said with a large grin as he shamelessly shrugged his embarrassment.

"Right…" Natalia suspected he was acting aloof, just as he ever did when something bothered him. "Then, what about Yulia City? Do you have a plan?"

"We need to have a meeting with Luke and the others as soon as we land. I've sent a letter to Guy when you went to pay a visit to the sanatorium, we're seeing them in Sheridan on his house." Jade explained, finally managing to concentrate on something other than his partner.

"That's perfect. As far as Tear told me, she and Anise were investigating in Yulia City and some traces lead to Daath, but Guy and Luke were searching for clues in Baticul and Grand Chokmah. I don't know if everyone's up to date with everything they've found." She recalled from the letter Tear had mentioned something about Luke discovering some information with one of the noble houses in Kimlasca, but she had no idea if they'd talked further during those two weeks or if they've just shared mail.

"Most likely we're the only ones left with nothing, but I think it'll be better to hear them personally and see the whole picture at once." Jade insisted.

"That's true… I'm starting to feel bad for not helping, you know?" She said, placing her empty glass on the side table.

"Of course, you could have disobeyed your father and stay behind while the culprit murdered you in cold blood, possibly going after your dear aunt Suzanne, Luke and your father, effectively overthrowing the crown." Natalia glared daggers at him, but Jade just shrugged and laughed briefly. "You know I'm not lying."

"No… it's good we've taken this break. With all the pressure my father had been placing on me, it really felt like a blessing. Yet…"

"Still worried about the certain event we'll have to go through in the near-future?" He asked, leaving his glass on the table as well.

"Yes, but… I'm not quite as worried about that."

"Then what is it?" Jade didn't let it go unnoticed that Natalia was bushing wildly. Many pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place, but he'd let her take the lead and see where all of it would take them. After all, he'd already realized he had no chance of denying her anything she asked for.

"The marriage is just an excuse to imply the crown needs an heir." The princess explained. She avoided making eye contact as she spoke and her cheeks flustered even more than before. "I'm sure you're aware of what that means."

"I'm conscious of it. But I do not pretend to do it just because the arrangement implies it." He was right from the start. Natalia wasn't acting as innocent as she'd like to portray. He'd already bit on the bait; he might as well play his cards right now that he had a certain upper hand against her. "I suppose you're nervous because of me? It's hard for me to believe you're as unexperienced as you picture yourself."

"How rude!" She exclaimed, bothered by his commentary. "What are you even implying with that?"

"I don't know…" Jade rolled his eyes as he shrugged once again. "The way you kissed me the other day, your way of talking and moving to get what you want… this does not seem like something completely new to you."

"I…" She stuttered, fidgeting with the frills of her skirt. "You shouldn't know about that."

"I get it, you're young, curious, you had your time alone with Asch back then… it's only normal." Jade remembered there was one time, right after Akzeriuth was destroyed when the party disbanded and Natalia followed Asch for a couple of weeks on his trip, right before she got abducted by the Oracle Knights. Giving the nature of their relationship and the age they had by the time, it was only natural they'd wanted to experience some things for themselves.

"You're too sharp for your own good… please promise me not to tell anyone, it's been a secret for too long." Natalia begged, lowering her head in shame.

"I have absolutely no right to call you out on your poor decisions in life. I'm possibly one of them. Also, I'm not going to go around and gossip about this, you know me better than that. I do have to say, however, it was a stupid choice at the moment." Jade fixed his position and sat beside the princess on the sofa, with his arms crossed above his chest.

"May I ask why?"

"He was an enemy soldier at the time, still part of the Oracle Knights even if he had betrayed the Order of Lorelei. Not to mention, if you were to get pregnant with his child, how would you've explained that to the King, when Luke had taken Asch's place and the information about the replicas hadn't spread just yet? How'd you have explained the fact that you'd slept with the enemy, gotten with child, when they had flagged you as an impostor? they'd have aimed to kill you even harder, as you'd be carrying a rightful heir of the original Luke." He explained, glancing at her sideways. As he spoke, he saw Natalia's expression change abruptly from shame to fear.

"I never thought about it that way." Natalia admitted, facing down with disappointment on herself. She'd have complicated everything if something had gone wrong four years ago.

"Did you at least enjoy it?" That question surprised Natalia, who opened her eyes wide as she looked up at the Necromancer.

"Y-yes… Why do you ask?"

"It's not bad that you've done it, you're young and curious, after all. It was just stupid, but you shouldn't feel guilty about it. Besides... you loved him." Jade shrugged.

"I guess you're right." She admitted again and nodded slightly, fixing some locks of her hair behind her ear. "May I ask you something?" Natalia asked right afterwards, with the blush still on her face. "It could have been I've asked this before, but it's still not clear to me. Why are you this kind to me? During the whole trip… ever since Peony offered the proposal, you changed completely, at least towards me. You even defended me when Luke snapped, you protected me from the attack… we've even kissed twice…" She touched her lips with slight amusement.

"Isn't a man supposed to treat his wife nicely? Why start once the papers are signed? Besides of that, we are still friends and former comrades. I'm supposed to care for you, both as your friend and elder."

"… do you like me?"

"Where did that even come from?" He asked with a slightly nervous laughter.

"Do you like me?" She asked again, resting on her knees to face him directly. Her tone sounded a lot different from her first statement, Jade suspected she wasn't talkign about liking her as a friend or even as a significant other. She was closer to him that he would have wanted. "I've been doubting all this time… I know we're friends, I know we're perhaps closer with each other than anybody else. But coming from you doesn't necessarily means you like me. It seems you're forcing yourself to do all of this because it's your duty, not because you want to."

Jade remained silent for a while with no apparent expression on his face, however Natalia was able to notice he'd flinched when she first got closer to him, and that his hands twitched slightly even if he had them resting beneath his arms across his chest. Even if he had an almost perfect poker-face, his body usually betrayed him.

"I've already told you. I made a promise to you, but I'm not as invested in this as you-"

"I know. But that's not what I'm asking." She interrupted abruptly. "I'm not talking about the marriage, about the crown, about the trip. I'm talking about me. Do you like me?"

He lashed his arms around her slowly, pulling her closer for a kiss. Natalia stopped him placing a hand on his lips, yet she'd moved with his embrace and was now straddling his lap. She shook her head and grabbed the sides of his face to make him stare at her directly.

"No, don't do that… tell me. I want to hear you say it."

"Why?"

"So that I can stop making myself believe I'm the only one who's…" She closed her eyes as an almost inaudible groan escaped her lips. Her cheeks were burning bright in a deep shade of crimson. "I know I'm possibly the only one who's... falling in love." She admitted after sighing and taking a long breath. "But I can't help but think you're not even remotely interested or attracted to me. It hurts so much, because I've been dwelling with the idea of actually make things work between us… but it's killing me inside."

"Nat, it's hard to explain." Jade grabbed her neck and a lock of her hair and placed it behind her ear. "Put yourself in my shoes for a while…"

"Don't overthink it." She said, pressing her forehead against his as she closed her eyes. "Just… just say it. Say you _want_ me."

"I do." He muttered, pulling her closer and snatching a kiss this time. He was yet unsure whether he liked her or lusted her, thus saying he loved her too would probably be lying through his teeth. One of his hands drifted down her back into the side of her leg, evidencing his intentions. Natalia didn't seem to reject him, but she didn't look content just yet. "But you're younger, untainted, you're everything I'm not, Princess."

"Shut up." She said, kissing him roughly and spoke in between kisses. "I don't want to hear your excuses, there's enough self-depreciation with one of us." Her hands clasped his hair and she pulled him away for a second. She clearly heard him hiss with pleasure, which made Natalia smile widely. "I've already told you I don't care of all that."

"You're really nothing alike to what people picture of you, Princess." He smirked, as she trailed light nibbles across his neck down to his collarbone. One of his hands was clasped behind her back to give her balance, while the other one roamed freely around the outer part of her tights. Jade smiled at the touch of a silky strap which linked her stockings with a lace garter belt. Surely she'd have thought beforehand she'd try to make a move, otherwise he believed she'd not have worn such seductive undergarments.

"Now that we're finally coming to terms with each other…"

"Huh?" she asked, parting away from his lips after he stopped talking. He had an incredibly mischievous smile on his face, which made Natalia equally scared and excited.

"Do you really think I'd let you take the upper hand on this?" He muttered, pulling her up from the couch in a swift movement.

Surprised, Natalia almost lost her balance and fell backwards, but he managed to pin her against the cold wall besides the fireplace, which was about to die from being left unattended for so long. She smirked back at him, spreading her legs slightly so that he'd fix his weight to carry her with ease.

"Why don't we take this upstairs?"

 


	9. Whiteout

Past night had been almost like a dream. Natalia fluttered her eyes open, stretching her body as she tried to picture herself outside the surreal scenario that had become her bedroom during yesterday's evening. She imagined it'd have been all in her head if it had not been for the fact that Jade was still asleep on his side of the bed, with the sheets covering the lower part of his body. His bare torso was lit by the golden lining of the sun drifting across the curtains and he used his arms to pull up the pillow he was grasping tightly with half of his face buried onto it... he looked so peaceful, ad so beautiful, the simple thought of it made Natalia feel very ashamed of herself. She hadn't expected him to stay overnight, he should have gotten back to his room once they had finished, but he didn't do so, evidently. Natalia breathed heavily from both excitement and surprise, inspecting the surrounding area for her clothes. All of them were scattered on the floor, to which the memories of past nights sent a shiver down her spine.

"Good morning" Jade muttered, laying on his side.

"Oh, you're awake." The Princess covered her chest with the sheets before turning around to face him. The Necromancer rolled and laid on his back, staring at the ceiling without his glasses. He had a grimace on his face, as if he was letting a heavy existential dread sink in. Considering the facts that happened past night, that was possibly happening.

"You should take a shower. We're leaving for Nephry's house in around an hour. I'll ask the maids to ready our luggage while I do the same." He said with an emotionless voice.

"Are you alright? You look as if you've seen a ghost." She tried to casually change the subject, even though she knew why he had such an anxious expression.

Jade sighed, turning on his side again. He reached out to touch her, grabbing her hand with tenderness. Natalia held onto it tightly, resting on the mattress again to see him eye to eye. He kissed her knuckles as he tried to figure out how to explain his concerns to her, to which Natalia blushed slightly. It was so intimate, so romantic in a way she didn't expect to even imagine Jade being participant of it.

"I got carried away past night." He said, burrowing his face on the pillow again. "I'm sorry."

"You? Apologizing?" She asked with a cocky smile. Yet, seeing him getting bashful and ashamed was quite adorable, Natalia thought. "It's not like we didn't enjoy it. You were more than willing to cooperate."

"That's not what I meant." Jade sighed again, searching for his lenses on the night table before continuing. "There's consequences for all of this. I got hot headed and didn't think through any of it." He had forgotten how awful he felt every time he got obsessed with things. How bad he turned whenever he got an idea stuck on his mind so deep he wouldn't let go. He didn't remember how scary it felt to let go of logic and rationality when his emotions got the best of him.

Natalia reached out for his face and grabbed his cheek, caressing his skin with her thumb. Jade gazed at her, concerned, trying to decipher the look on her face, whether if it was condescending or compassionate.

"I know." She said, kissing him on the forehead with tenderness. "Don't fret too much about it. It was… it was great." She said with a tired, slightly saddened tone in her voice as she sat on the mattress once again, playing with one of the long locks of his hair. "But perhaps you're right. Maybe we rushed too much into this. There has been a lot of tension growing between us lately..." She almost sounded dissapointed.

The Princess rose from the bed, letting the covers fall on the floor. She covered her breast, feeling slightly ashamed to be walking around naked, and insisted she'd go to take the bath he had suggested earlier. Jade's eyes fixed upon her bare figure as she picked up her discarded clothes and she folded them to place them upon her bag. Her thin frame was beautiful, adorned with only her curves and edges bathed by the dim sunlight that filtered through the curtain. Jade laid on his back as she made her way out with an aggravated and confused expression on his face. In desperation, he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands, trying to clear his mind, as he was finally able to understand what got him so invested into the Princess after all. He was having a hard time believing he had her all for himself past night.

* * *

"May I talk to you for a second, Natalia?" Nephry asked when the maids were picking up the trays once they were done with breakfast. Their luggage was ready, resting at the door for the moment Guy knocked on the door, with the Albiore parked at the dock ready to go.

"I'll stroll on your library if you don't need me for anything, ladies." Jade said, standing up from the table as soon as he finished his morning coffee.

"Sure thing." Natalia said, following the older woman onto the living room. "Is something wrong, Nephry?"

"Not at all. I just wanted to thank you, for taking care of my brother." Nephry said with a wide smile, offering more tea to her. Natalia declined, but she took a berry from a small basket one of the maids had brought. "You've been a really positive influence on him, I can tell just for the couple of weeks you've spent here."

"It's nothing, actually. He's just been more honest with himself, I've only pushed a little to tear down his façade, that's all." Natalia shrugged, glancing at her hands as she spoke. The ring on her finger glistened, making the princess remember something she'd been waiting to talk about with her future sister-in-law. It was the first time she officialy used the ring, which was the reason it almost felt alien to her. "I've almost forgotten I had something I wanted to discuss with you."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Two things, actually. First, I want you to save the date for our wedding. We've had a long, hard time to accept it, but it's inevitably happening sooner than later. I want you to be there, given the fact you're the only family he has left from the Balfour side, at least." Natalia glanced at Nephry's surprised face, who was also smiling widely. "You've also become some sort of older sister to me during these days, so, from my part, I'd love you to be there for me as well."

"It'd be my honor, Princess." The governor said gladly, but then her expression changed to one of curiosity. "What is the other thing you wanted to talk about?"

"During these days, I've noticed two things that have been bothering me. One of them was the fact that, besides being set into an arranged marriage, I do want to marry you brother. At first it was terrible, it was impossible for me to accept the idea of it, but I guess I eventually noticed I liked him a lot. It… it wasn't just after these two weeks, it has been a long time since I've… you know, felt something for him. I just never noticed... But he kept pushing many barriers in front of him so that no one would ever get through."

"What's your point, dear?"

"You've been doing the same thing towards someone in particular. Perhaps you're following the same patterns as your brother. _The Score said so, so I have to distance myself_." Natalia explained, as serious as she could manage.

"I don't get it…"

"Have you talked to Emperor Peony lately?" Nephry remained silent, averting Natalia's gaze. "For what Jade's told me, you two haven't talked much since he appointed you as the governor. When you thought Jade had died in Akzeriuth, I know you got in contact with him, and after the strike in Yulia city you did as well, but that's it. You only talk when there's an emergency. You've never gotten back to things as they were before the Score foretold you should split."

"Natalia, it's a lot more complicated than that. Remember, I'm married."

"But… do you love Victor?"

"Of course I love him." She said, talking defensively. "I've grown used to it, after all!"

"Listen to yourself… _grown used to it._ It's clear, at least to me, that you and Victor do not even share the same interests or goals in life. He's not been around for two weeks, you rarely talk about him, he doesn't even consider your wishes to form a family." Natalia enlisted the conflict, watching Nephry's expression change from confusion to bitterness. "You still love the Emperor, don't you?"

"I surely do." Nephry muttered, grasping the folds of her skirt. "But it isn't easy for me to try to get back to him. He's the Emperor…"

"Exactly! He can file a divorce for you if he wants to. The Score is no longer valid, Nephry, why do you cage yourself inside its predictions if it no longer proves true?" Natalia grabbed her hands and looked directly into her brown, slightly swollen eyes. "During the wedding, the two of you will be there. I want you to talk to him, to reconsider the relation you have right now with Count Osbourne. You do not have to chain yourself to a fate you do not like… I sort of see myself in you, when I think what could have been if I've not changed my perception of Jade during this trip."

"You're saying you'd be just as miserable as me." Nephry said, letting her eyes water slightly. Natalia hugged her, assuring her sister-in-law she wished she'd never feel as trapped as she felt nowadays. The governor hugged her back, patting her on the shoulder as she thanked her for the concern. The older woman agreed to attend the wedding, not so sure about talking with Peony once they met that day, but she promised she'd do her best on reconsidering. She felt she'd be damaging Victor more than anyone, but Natalia assured her they could make something out of it.

Just as Natalia finished talking, Jade opened the door to find his sister and fiancée holding hands. His expression went from worry to mockery to worry once again, but he didn't speak as he noticed Natalia's assuring look.

"I hope I'm not interrupting, but we have another guest who's rushing us to move now. He's in quite a hurry, he says Miss Tatlin is going to kill him if we don't get to Sheridan by noon."

"You don't have to be so dramatic." The man said as he entered the room. Natalia rushed and hugged him tightly, but he tensed as her arms surrounded his sides. Sloppily, Guy hugged her back and patted her head with affection. "Good to see you, Princess Natalia." He bowed at Nephry, who nodded back at him.

"Good to see you too, Guy."

* * *

The plane flew off of Keterburg quickly, with a bit of turbulence because of the ever falling snow. Once they flew away from the continent, the pilot told them they could unfasten their seatbelts and walk around the plane safely. Natalia stood up, heading up for the small fridge all Albiore models had on the back to pick a glass of water. Flying always made her nervous, even a little nauseous.

"May I ask you something, Princess?" Jade asked as he joined her on the back of the plane, grabbing a glass as well.

"What is it?"

"It's been sitting on the back of my mind for a while… did you ever consider _him_ as a candidate?" The Necromancer pointed at the pilot's cabin with his head, looking at her with a very curious stare. "He's around your age, noble, well-mannered, and your friend, just like me. You're one of the few women he doesn't let his gynophobia run rampant, which would be a good starting point."

"Oh… I guess they haven't told you." Natalia said with a smirk, which made Jade gaze at her in confusion. There were no trails of jealousy on his voice, but Natalia noticed he was slightly upset to mention Guy as a possible candidate to marry. "Have you seen him holding a brass pocket watch lately?"

"I've not been around for quite a while… but I do remember seeing the pocket watch. What does it have to do with anything?"

"There's a tradition in Sheridan, Noelle told me…" She explained, with a whimsical smile on her lips. "People give to each other handmade brass pocket watches as engagement gifts, instead of rings. Once you marry, you gift your spouse with a silver watch. When you have been together for ten years, you gift each other a golden watch, and so forth."

"Oh, that's quite interesting." He smirked mischievously. "I had no idea our dear friend was interested in such costumes… I must assume he didn't start buying antiques, am I right?"

"Don't be a jerk," Natalia retaliated, rolling her eyes. "He's not told me directly, it was Noelle who told me about their tradition and asked me to keep quiet about it."

"You don't have to worry, _darling,_ I swear I won't stick my nose on it… not much anyway." Jade's smile widened, knowing he'd have something to pester the young pilot until he broke and spoke out loud of the matter. "I assume you knew about his situation long before Peony made his proposal."

"I did, I found out some weeks before. Besides, my father hadn't suggested for me to search on Malkuth's nobility for a suitor until Emperor Peony stepped in. I would be lying if I told you Guy hadn't cross my mind by then." Natalia remembered her father insisted if she had no second thoughts about Jade. He immediately pointed at Guy as another great option, but Natalia had told him she was unable to see him as anything else than a friend and one of her former servants, however harsh that might have sounded.

"Hmm… I wonder if he would have been better for you rather than-"

"Don't speak like that, please." She said, caressing his left arm as she pulled him closer. She then remembered they should be keeping some distance now that they were going to reunite with the rest of the group, so she released the grip from his arm but did not let go of him. "How many times do I need to tell you I ended up picking you because I like you?"

"You'll have to try harder, Princess. I can be like an old mule when I get things stuck in my head." Jade replied, holding her hand on his own. The Necromancer leaned down, placing a kiss on Natalia's forehead.

"Uhh, guys…" Guy's voice interrupted. He appeared behind Jade's back, startling Natalia a little. She hadn't noticed he had walked on them, while having a brief moment of tenderness. "I don't mean to interrupt but, uh… we're landing soon. So… I've not been able to tell you this but, congratulations? I guess?"

"I can say the same to you, Guy~" Jade teased back. The startled look on Guy's face was priceless.

* * *

Guy's house was just as Natalia remembered from the first and only time she had visited, filled with artifacts and machines. Their friends were already there. All of them looked tired, which made Natalia feel quite guilty about herself. After all she'd just spent half a month on a refreshing vacation away from all the trouble, meanwhile the rest of them tried to figure out who had tried to kill her.

"You took forever, guys!" Anise cried, pulling from their sleeves to bring them inside the libary. "Hold on to your horses and sit down, you've missed out a lot."

"Calm down, Anise." Jade said, frowning. Apparently, he was just as exasperated as Natalia, because they've been waiting idly while the others solved the case. "Let's take turns, shall we? After the incident, what happened in Yulia City? I assume Tear was the one who investigated this."

Tear nodded, explaining the city had to raise security after the strike, but that none of the assassins left any lead to follow. The corpses weren't very significant proof, as they were not identified from either Kimlasca or Malkuth. However, that opened the case towards other cities, like Chesedonia, Nam Cobanda Island and Daath, all known to have assassination squads to their service. Given the fact that the pirates form the island would gain no benefit from killing the Princess, but a direct arresting order on their whole population once they'd been discovered, the options narrowed to Chesedonia and Daath. Tear had assumed they'd need a bigger cover up if they wanted to take the case, like an organization. Thus, they decided to split and search in the two cities: Tear would go to inspect on Chesedonia, with Aston's help. While Anise would check on Daath, moving her influences to get some information on the branches she and Florian held no control over. At first, each girl traveled with one of the boys, but when Anise got news on someone paid to get Natalia killed, she imagined the order must have come for someone with resources. It only meant someone from the upper class or the noble houses from either kingdom didn't want the Princess succeeding the crown.

"That was our first assumption." Guy continued, crossing his legs as he leaned back to think. "But the more we found out, the more we noticed it wasn't just that. There was another reason, according with the rumors that had spread. By that time, Luke and I have left the girls behind and each went to Baticul and Grand Chokmah respectively, to find at least a subject to work with."

"Not many people were glad you were engaged to a Malkuth soldier… in fact, not many were even happy that you were to actually succeed your father's throne." Luke said, raising an eyebrow with skepticism. "Many of our cousins had some very bitter commentary on your decisions, but we noticed most of their thoughts were inherited by their parents' beliefs."

"I think I see where this is going." Natalia said, turning to Jade in search of his approval. He nodded in agreement, but said nothing. "I guess they're clawing at each other's eyes to dethrone the royal family at this point and see who gets the crown."

"Not quite." Luke said, glancing away from her. "They _actually_ love the royal family. But… they don't consider you a part of it."

"What?!" Natalia said with indignation. "I thought that had been settled already!"

Luke shook his head, agreeing he was also pissed because half of the opinions disregarded him as a fake as well. Things hadn't been settled just yet, they still believed the replica and the 'fake-princess' to be truly worrying matters.

"Then my suspicions were right. It can only mean one thing." Jade interrupted, sighing deeply after noticing the irony of the matter. "They're trying to follow up the Score, some may be even trying to get Luke to become king, others perhaps appointing Suzanne or the following in line for the throne. They all agree in one thing, though: Natalia is not King Ingobet's biological daughter."

"That's our main suspicion, General." Tear pointed out, pausing for a long moment, but then she continued. "While some have completely moved on from the Score, others are still trying to stick to it in whichever way possible, but they've done it mostly to a personal level. They're basically harmless." She explained, but then her expression turned somber. "However, we've found a trail directly tied to one of Natalia's cousins who'd complained a lot about the Princess engagement, insisting she wasn't even the rightful heiress and that she shouldn't be appointed as the future queen. Said cousin's family had some interesting strings to pull, things turned out to be more complicated than they initially seemed."

"Why?" Natalia asked, confused. She knew where everything was leading to, but there were some pieces that wouldn't fall into place. Nevertheless, she was a hundred percent sure which cousin they'd found out about. Little Lydian had always had trouble to keep her little, poisonous mouth shut.

"Lady Gwynham's parents are related directly to one of the Order of Lorelei's branches, one of the most conservative parties inside Daath. They've been trying to make their followers adjust to the Score. They're obviously manipulating most of their group, but it has been working for them." Anise explained, making a foul face. "Florian and I have been trying to disband some of these extremist branches, but when you remove one of their higher ups from their position, two more pop up!"

"So it's an internal work coming directly from the Order." Jade's hypothesis had been right all along. He immediately noticed Natalia would be facing a lot more trouble if they were involved. If it was just the aristocrats at Baticul, her father could edict an order to remove them from their titles, but the fact that the church was behind all of it turned it into a worrying matter. "I'm guessing they'll try in many ways to either kill Natalia or turn the people against her if they cannot do so. I imagine they've also been the ones pushing the needles to cause another civil war between our countries."

"It's not quite like that, General." Anise answered with a cocky smile. "Surprisingly, they have little to no influence in Malkuth. Their power is mostly concentrated in Kimlasca and Daath, but I bet they can move their contacts if necessary." That explained why Natalia didn't feel threathened in Keterburg, not even once. The place where she'd be most endangered would be her own castle, with the people she trusted the most. _Just perfect._

"Besides Lydian's family, who else has been plotting against me in Baticul?" Natalia asked, closing her eyes as she tried to stop seeing red from the anger the conversation was making her feel.

Luke explained that it only seemed the Gwynhams' direct relatives were the ones making a fuss about it. None other of the families had taken their side, nor had they hired an assassin order from Daath to kill the princess. Natalia grunted, but she calmed down when she felt a firm hand grasping her shoulder. She stared upwards, to find Jade trying to comfort her with a simple gesture- which strangely seemed to work.

"We need to plan a course of action. I'd say that despite the odds, we're more than capable of solving the conflict ourselves. The less attention we draw the better." He said, sounding as if he was talking to a platoon of soldiers. He returned to the usual Jade they all used to know and it amazed Natalia how quickly he could switch his own mannerisms.

"I think you're right." The Princess agreed. She glanced at Luke once again, suddenly worried about something she had just realized. If Lydian and her parents had found out she was hiding in Keterburg, it might bring trouble to Nephry in the future. "Do you know if they had any information on my whereabouts these past two weeks?"

"They knew you were under Malkuth's protection, as everyone in the country did. Many of your opposition began to flag you as a traitor as soon as the word started to spread, but your father managed to calm down their anger when he insisted he was the one who ordered you to go." Tear answered before Luke could. "But as far as we know, they never found out you were in Keterburg."

"Don't worry too much about Keterburg, Natalia." Jade said, sitting down besides her. "The climate is not the only thing it has to defend itself. Remember, the governor is _my_ sister after all." He said with a smile.

"As for our plan of action, what do you suggest, General?" Anise said, returning them to their original topic. "We're not going to be able to disband the branch in Daath, at least not for a while."

"Also, if we were to pursue and punish the Gwynhams, it would leave a nasty stain on Natalia's reputation." Guy said, shaking his head. "If Natalia were to order it, she'd be seen as a tyrant in the eyes of the other nobles, killing whoever opposes her. If either Jade or I were to act under or Emperor Peony's orders, we'd create a greater conflict between the two countries. If Luke does it, it'd upraise trouble and a possible turf war amidst the royals."

"How's about it if my father ordered it?" Natalia asked. "It'd not be the first time he issued such a thing, I mean, he even ordered to…" she remained silent, remembering he had not hesitated much when Mohs suggested to poison her and Luke.

"We've already thought about it and we've talked with your father about it." Guy answered, shaking his head in disagreement. "But whatever information we've found on the Gwynhams has been through espionage, we have no real proof against them."

"In given case we don't need an assassination order; we issue an arrest. We have enough proof to suspect at least from one of their family members." Jade said, smiling mischievously.

"We do?" Anise asked. All of them stared at Jade in confusion. It was not unexpected he was able to see far ahead than his younger friends, but it was still amazing he could pull a conclusion when he hadn't been part of the investigation and had been far away from the trouble for two weeks. In fact, the same thought crossed both Luke and Guy's minds, Jade seemed to know everything from the very beginning, but he decided he'd leave the work to them and take care of the Princess by himself. Perhaps he considered his conclussions to be mistaken or he wished to protect her before anything else happened, but it was undenyable he was well aware of the causes and the consequences of the strike before anyone else.

"Oh, dear… it seems you don't remember how the strike started on the first place." His smirk widened. Natalia stared at him, noticing he enjoyed the fact that he was always one step ahead than the rest of them.

"Mind to enlighten us, Jade?" Guy asked.

"The weekend the summit was held, Natalia had tea with her cousin, Lydian, who congratulated her for her engagement. Hours later, the strike happened. When I entered her room to check on her, Natalia was fast asleep and the assassin was about to strike her. In fact, I remember she was knocked out, it was the noise and the harsh lights what woke her up."

"The tea was spiked, you're right!" Natalia remembered, opening her eyes widely. "I had completely forgotten! She could have killed me right there! Why didn't she?!"

Jade said she probably preferred to wait, so that she'd not dirty her hands in taking care of the Princess herself. The Gwynhams had enough resources to hire someone else to do the nasty work for them, why would Lydian even raise the suspicion on herself if she could have some of the Order's assassins do it for her? If King Ingobert could make an edict to imprison Lydian for interrogation under the suspicion she was responsible of the strike, Jade would be able to make her speak.

"You're sure you can handle her on your own?" Luke asked, even if he trusted Jade's abilities to pester people until he got his way with them, Lydian was especially difficult. "She's a viper, she'll try to twist the truth as much as possible."

"Remember, Luke… I can turn myself into a viper as much as needed too. It's just a matter of time until she realizes she's in great disadvantage when being toxic is the point. Once she confesses, King Ingobert and Emperor Peony can send a formal letter to Fon Master Tatlin so that she can pronounce the arrest order for the entire Gwynham family and their sympathizers. Eventually, with the support of both kingdoms, the extremist branches of the Order should quiet down, if they don't want to be eliminated immediately." Jade sighed, admitting it was not a definite solution for the matter. At any moment, they could resurface and attack again.

Opposition would rise again. Another assassination strike might happen, and worse of all, they might be successful the next time. Of all people, he understood how hard it was to stray from whatever the Score had dictated, so it was to be expected that people still tried to maintain the order as it was before. Natalia and Luke were breaches on that order, and the consequences of those two deviances from the status quo signified change. People feared change, as much as he feared letting go of his predetermined destiny. During the past two weeks, Natalia had showed him that he shouldn't be building invisible walls around himself to protect an invalid prophecy. He had enjoyed himself quite a lot, remembered parts of his past he had considered gone forever. He owed her at least that that. He'd protect her for as long as he could from the ones that tried to tie her to an unexistant destiny.

* * *

The party decided it'd be better to depart the next morning. Anise, Tear and Guy would go to Daath to keep on pressing the situation with Florian. Jade, Natalia and Luke would go with Noelle back to Baticul, at last. For now, they had to stay put and spend the night at Guy's house, as it'd not be wise to take flight at midnight and arrive to their destination in the middle of the day, which would help Lydian make an easy escape when she was captured.

The house had a main bedroom and four spare guest rooms. Being the last ones to arrive, there was only one left for both Jade and the Princess. Tear offered to share hers with Natalia, but Jade insisted she took the room for herself. He'd accommodate himself on the living room without any problem. Guy apologized, if he had calculated things correctly, he'd have made some space on the studio earlier that week. Jade insisted they shouldn't worry about it, but Natalia couldn't put it to rest. Later that night, when everybody was wishing each other a goodnight sleep, the princess walked out of her room, searching for the Necromancer. He was laying on a large sofa, still fully dressed with a book in his hands and a cup of coffee on the side table.

"You should go to sleep, Princess." He said, without taking his eyes off the page. "Tomorrow will be quite a day…"

"I know. That's why you should be resting as well and you shouldn't be drinking coffee at this hour." She took the mug away and disappeared into the kitchen, coming back again after a few seconds. For a while, she asked herself if he was trying to avoid her. Ever since the mornign he had been keeping his distance, even if he wasn't acting cold as he always did. "You planned to pull an all-nighter?"

"I did." He said with honesty, looking at her. She was wearing a thin, blue nightgown that accentuated the curves of her figure. Even if he tried not to look at her, Jade unconsiously peeked at her direction once or twice. "It leaves me some time to think how we're going to sneak into your house tomorrow."

"You're quite used to plan your strategies the night before, right?" She gestured him to sit up for a second. He complied, letting her take a seat where his head had been some seconds before. She pulled from his shoulder and made him rest on her lap as she began to play with his hair, braiding it slowly. "I remember each time we had an important fight or meeting during the trip years ago you'd go out to a bar or you'd roam around the inn, sleepless."

"Quite an observer, aren't you?" He mocked, closing the book.

"I want you to rest, it's not good for your health to be this anxious… won't you come to bed?"

"I thought you'd be more reluctant about it." He said, glancing through the corner of his eye. He wasn't paying much attention to them, but he could clearly see Anise peeping from one of the halls and Luke's voice coming from the same direction. "You know, with the rest of them around, I believe you don't want to bring up the attention towards… us."

"To be honest, I don't care." Natalia confessed, caressing his face with the side of her hands. Natalia kept feeling he was pushing her away, telling her to go to sleep just because her friends were watching. "They're our friends, they'll notice eventually… yes, even if they're peeping on us right now." She rose her voice during her last sentence. Jade noticed Anise disappeared immediately from behind the pillar she'd been hiding the whole time. "I don't want to hide it. If… if we're doing this, it will be impossible to keep it a secret."

"You could always pretend you're disgusted to be married to an old man, have your young, strong, lively lovers around the country, leaving your poor old husband to rot in the castle." He mocked, but Natalia gave him a foul look. At least he was being humorous now.

"Oh, now that you mention it…" she remembered she wanted to talk something to him prior to their return to Baticul. "Once we… marry… I suppose you'll still be serving for Emperor Peony."

"As long as your father doesn't leave the throne to you, I'll still live in Grand Cockmah, if that's what you're asking." He he noticed Natalia didn't like his answer. She looked hurt, as if she had been rejected, to which he tried to ammend his mistake immediately. "Once you become Queen, I'll live up to your service, just as the engagement proposal dictated."

"That means I won't be seeing you much for the next couple of years. My father doesn't plan to abdicate on my behalf, unless his health pushes him to do so. Knowing him… it might take ten or fifteen years."

"I don't plan on disappearing, you know?" Jade answered, holding her hand. He sighed, perhaps he had been too indifferent to her since they got away from Keterburg and she had begun to imagine things. Knowing Natalia as he did, she was probably feeling depressed and let down by him. "I plan on taking you with me until your father decides it's time for you to take the crown… no, don't make that face, he _will_ let you come. I'll talk to him; I'll propose to make you the official ambassador so you can travel all you want -is it not something you've always wanted to do?"

"That… that would be really great." Natalia admitted with a shy smile, cheering up slightly. Even if it sounded impossible, she believed Jade would manage to make it work. "But I don't know if…"

"Have you ever doubted my ability to make people do whatever I want?" Jade smirked with mischief.

"JUST KISS HIM ALREADY, DAMNIT!" Anise screamed, reappearing from behind the pillar.

"ANISE!" Luke, Guy and Tear scolded her. Both Natalia and Jade noticed how the three of them were struggling to take the younger girl away from the living room into the hall. Natalia smiled, shaking her head in disapproval while the Necromancer sighed, exhausted of their friends' idiosyncrasies.

"We should really go to bed." Natalia insisted, pushing him up gently. "I'm not taking no for an answer, come with me." And as such, Jade knew it was impossible to deny anything to her. If there was someone who was immune to said ability of making everyone bid Jade's will, it was her.

* * *

Getting the arrest order wasn't the hardest part of the job. Catching Lydian before she escaped from the capital wasn't the easiest of tasks, but it happened after a few hours of chasing her. Fortunately, the royal guard was able to find her before she made her way to the ferry and disappeared from the city. No, the hardest part was making her talk, all within two hours before her parents found out they had their daughter captive.

"Once my fahter knows about this..." Lydian hissed as she eyed daggers at Jade, who walked steadily around her. Her hands were cuffed to the table, tied by a fonic arte he had been practicing for a while. If she did any sudden movements, the fonic arte would crawl up her arm and burn her. If she knew better, she'd stay still from then on. The past two burns should have been more than enough for her to understand that Jade's spells were nothing to be laughing at.

"I'm afraid that once he does, he might get arrested, Milady." Jade interrupted calmly. "Now, back to our earlier conversation, I need a declaration about the evening in Yulia City. Did you poison Princess Natalia's tea?"

"Who'd have thought the Necromancer would become a lapdog to pesky-little-Natalia?" She smiled, trying to poke fun at him. "She must be really lucky to have such a loyal watchdog... that is until you betray her for your Emperor. She's got it coming, that fake bit-"

"You're gaining yourself some months of imprissonment for insulting your Princess, please refrain from it. Now, that doesn't answer any of the questions I previously asked, Miss Gwynham, don't make me tighten the cuffs." Jade smiled, swinging his hand as he walked. It caused the cuffs to close around her wrists, burning her skin.

"Agh! This is torture! I did nothing wrong!" She screamed, banging her head against the chair in desperation. Jade released the pressure, but he kept smiling with a tint of sadism in his eyes. "What do you want from me?!"

"The truth, nothing else. If you speak, I might get you a reduced sentence. You may even walk away with nothing more than a warning." Jade knew he was lying, if everything they had found out was true, she'd at least lose her title and her fortune, if luck was on her side. "Don't worry, I'm patient. I don't know how composed your parents will be when they arrive and see you like this, though. Perhaps using this cuffs on your mother will loosen your tongue a bit."

"You're a monster..."

"I've been called worst." Jade smirked, sitting down in front of her again. He swinged his wrist again, tightening the cuffs on purpose for no reason. Perhaps he was getting back at her for all she'd been plotting or for the fact she had just insulted Natalia. He didn't know, but he didn't like the fact he was actually enjoying it. He had to control himself... "Now, please, speak."

"Heh... fine, I'll talk, just... remove these freaking cuffs..." she panted and exposed her parents' crimes right afterwards. Apparently, Natalia hadn't been their only victim. Many other murders around Baticul and some dissapearances were related to her family, all for the sake of following the Score's original predictions. Jade's blood started to boil inside his veins, he wished he could still use the cuffs to punish her, but he decided to keep it down unless strictly necessary. "No matter if you keep us captive or you kill our entire family, Necromancer... someone will get the Princess' head. Now you're becoming a target youself, straying from your path... sooner or later, atonement will befall on each heretic and deviant on this planet, yourself included. It'll either be a murder, an accident, or another war... you'll pay for everything you've ever done against the will of Lorelei..."

"How lovely." Jade casted another spell without words with the same sadistic gaze he had since he began the interrogation. He made a couple of gestures with his hands and a dark fonic circle appeared beneath Lydian. The arte didn't manifestate itself unitl much later, shadowy hands surged from the ground and wrapped themselves around the woman's neck and torso, as if they were trying to strangle her. She tried to scream, but the shadows kept her silent. Jade smiled. He'd not used that spell for quite a while. If any of his friends knew he had learned it, they'd probably be terrified. This fanatic woman was more than enough to try it, without killing her, of course. " I hate listening when people preach, and I don't remember asking for your opinion, dear..."

* * *

Natalia was furious, but over it all, she felt disappointed she'd not be able to take any of the matter herself. If Lydian was to be interrogated, she'd not speak a word if the princess was the one asking the questions. Luke tried to comfort her, telling her it wasn't a bad thing to have her problems solved for her every once in a while, but Natalia was unable to accept she had been resting for two entire weeks, in hiding, and now that she had the chance to do things herself, the circumstances pushed her to remain quiet and waiting for someone else to fix it. Jade decided to take the situation on his own and asked Luke if he could accompany the princess for a while until he managed to get a confession out of Lydian. It'd certainly not be pretty to watch Jade doing his nasty bidding. Natalia still had no idea why Luke had decided to tag along with them, perhaps he wanted to protect Natalia as much, but he was just as vulnerable as she was. Baticul had stopped being a safe place. If anything, it seemed he had an ulterior motive the Princess wasn't aware of. She wondered if Jade knew anything about it, since he was the one who asked Luke to keep her company.

"May I have a word with you, while we're waiting?" Luke asked, inviting her to sit down at the garden outside the castle. "Just... promise me you will stay calm."

"Sure, is anything the matter?" Natalia rose an eyebrow, the statement itself sounded awkward coming from Luke.

"I wanted to talk to you before you made a terrible mistake, Natalia." His voice sounded deeper. His eyes looked angrier and stern. The position of his body fixed to a more rigid stance… this was no longer Luke she was talking to. "Perhaps I let my anger get the best of me past time…"

"… Asch?"

"Not for long, anyway." He tried to smile, but his grimace didn't go away at any moment. "I don't have any control over Luke's body; he'd noticed my consciousness was still around, dormant, but living, nevertheless."

"Living?" Natalia asked with excitement, but Asch shook his head and placed his face atop of his hands. "We may be able to do something, please, let me help…"

"There's nothing to be done. I _died_ in Eldrant years ago. Whatever is left of me is but a trace of a memory, a faint consciousness that's vanishing slowly. I just want to talk to you, and Luke's giving me a chance to do so."

"I have to go get Jade, I bet he can do something…" Natalia stood up, ignoring the fact that Asch had told her it was impossible. She clung blindly to the idea of having him back, however it might be. Asch grabbed her hand before she managed to run away.

"Natalia, stop." Her eyes begun to water when the redhead's empty stare pierced her, the desperation and lack of hope in his green irises made her excitement disappear in a second. She tried to mutter a response, but nothing came forward. "I just want to talk to you before I go. Will you listen to me?"

Natalia was unable to answer, but she sat down again, dumbfounded. She was crying silently; Asch was unable to make her hold her tears. Reaching for her face only made her move away from his hands, partially scared, partially in self-defense. She knew he was gone, this was but an illusion that would only hurt her more if she believed it to be true.

"Luke managed to recognize I was still dwelling inside him… since then he has been training himself to control it, but this doesn't last long. It just shows how weakened my own consciousness is. He wanted to give us a minute, so I'll be brief. Then, perhaps… perhaps I'll be able to finally rest."

"Don't say that… no, don't!" Natalia pushed him away when he tried to get closer. "There must be something we can do, please… please, let me help you."

"No. I want to let Luke live his life... and from what I'm seeing, I want to let you live yours." He sighed as he frowned deeply. He didn't want to ask what was roaming in his mind at the moment, but he knew he had to do so. "You are marrying _him_ , right? You haven't changed your mind?"

"… yes." Natalia answered as she glanced at the fold in her dress, unable to look him in the eye. Perhaps he had the same memories as Luke, and he'd been aware of everything since the official announcement. She remembered that night he'd stormed into her room, screaming. It was obvious he was but a remnant of her beloved Asch. Many of the things he did or said, Asch would have never done them.

"Do you love him?" She couldn't answer that question. If it was hard to admit it to everyone else, to say it directly to Asch's face was impossible. The princess stared at him uncappable to find any words to say. The former God-general laughed with a husky voice, shaking his head. "Ok, then… does he love you?"

"I'm… I'm not sure." She doubted if she should answer that question, but being honest with herself, she had no real answer for that one. "He's been different lately. I even planned on letting him go if he didn't want to marry me, but he insisted it was his duty now to carry onwards with the engagement."

"I just want the best for you. If you do love him, that's fine by me, but I'd rather see you in the arms of a man who loves you as much as I did." Asch's face remained expressionless, not even chuckling changed his gesture. "If you ever regret it, remember you're in control. Don't ever let anyone treat you as anything lesser than the Queen you are, Natalia."

"I won't... You know? I've missed you a lot. It has been killing me for so many years the fact that I never got to say goodbye. Now… now there's someone else in the line… I wish there wasn't, just for a while."

"It's fine, I don't have much longer, anyway. Perhaps what we both needed was closure." Asch said, finally able to hold her hand. "Don't cry anymore. You have a promise you've planned to keep, don't you? Even if Jade must take my place at your side, make sure to keep your chin up at all times. Uncle Ingobert, my parents, Luke… you're going to keep them worried if you're sulking all the time. You're going to carry the hope and expectations of the whole kingdom on your shoulders… I'm sure the people won't like to see their Princess' crying all the time. You've mourned me more than enough already."

"Can I ask you for one last favor?" She asked, noticing how Luke's voice started to mesh with his as he spoke. He had barely a few seconds left, before he vanished completely. Natalia didn't know if he'd ever resurface again or if Luke would have absorbed him completely after today, but she was sure she'd never ask him personally to let her talk to Asch. It was better, for all of them, if she simply learned to let him go. "Can you hold me until you have to go?"

"Sure." Asch said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and placing his chin atop of her head. She knew she couldn't feel him vanishing, but it was as if he was slipping through her fingers. Her tears started to run wildly, and she felt Luke's arms embracing her tightly. She didn't know how, but she was aware Asch was no longer there.

"He's… He's gone." Natalia said, still being embraced by Luke. "I couldn't do anything…"

"Thanks for talking to him, Nat." Luke said, not letting go of her as her cries turned more violent.

Natalia wept loudly, fisting her hands on her cousin's clothes. Luke caressed her head and patted her back, in hopes of making her feel comfortable, even if he knew it wasn't helping. The princess didn't even hear when Jade appeared behind them, who noticed she was crying as soon as he set his eyes on her from afar. He had rushed towards the garden and knelt before Natalia, holding her arm to make her turn around to face him.

"What happened?" He asked to both Luke and Natalia. The princess released her grip from Luke's neck and turned around to embrace her fiancé, who looked at the young nobleman in confusion. Luke looked estranged from the sudden interaction between the couple, he was not used to see Jade rush to console nobody, and he didn't believe Natalia would stop crying just from holding his hands. "Are you alright?"

"It was Asch." Luke answered. Natalia's crying resumed, making Jade hug her. The Necromancer gave him a puzzled look, but he immediately seemed to put every piece back into place and he nodded. "He just wanted to say goodbye."

"I see." Jade answered, pulling Natalia up so that he could sit beside her. She held him once again, and the Necromancer could feel her tears staining the shoulder of his shirt slowly.

"How did it go with Lydian?" Luke asked, trying to change the subject. Natalia's attention was slightly picked, but she didn't stop crying.

"Wonderfully, actually… she spoke as if there was no tomorrow." Jade explained he had to apply some force so that she'd break, but the icing on the cake was that her parents were the ones who actually spilled the beans when they came to find their daughter and they tried (and failed) to prove their innocence. The guards arrested them and Ingobert was evicting, at the very same moment, an order of incarceration and a removal of their titles, in hope they'd serve as an example for the rest of the aristocrats that lived dependent of the Royal Family or the Royal Guard. The king was also taking an opportunity to remind the couriers and the townspeople about the wonders of free will, insisting on the discrepancies from the Score. Luke knew, however, 'applying some force to break her' implied Jade had done something no other person would have done if they wanted to keep their morals intact.

After hearing his entire explanation, Luke excused himself, saying he had to take a break. He had to gather a lot of energy and concentration whenever Asch took control of his body, and even if he had practiced a lot for the past two weeks, it drained him a lot. He left the two alone, to which Natalia finally regained her composure some minutes afterwards.

"So… Lydian and her parents are being incarcerated?" She asked with emptiness and dread in her tone.

"Not quite. Her parents are going to prison, but she's going to be investigated further. She's still young and easily manipulated, your father believes she might deserve a second chance. I do not, for the record, but the decision is solely his." Jade explained. "We'll see where this takes us in a while, Natalia."

"… may I ask you something?" Natalia pondered after a long moment of silence. She had stopped crying by then, but the look on her face showed deep worry and pain. Jade nodded, holding her hand to reassure her as she spoke. "Do you ever think we'll be able to let go of it, the Score? Not just the two of us, of course, I mean, the people, both of our countries… can it be possible?"

"I don't know, to be honest." Jade said, noticing he was indeed part of the problem. The fixation the entire world had with the Score had caused a lot of trouble, the strike was perhaps one of the worst consequences it had during recent times, but there were plenty stories about murders and tragedies happening around the globe because someone was unable to let go of a false prophecy. He was a victim just as much as Lady Lydian had been, just as much as Asch and Luke had been, and just as much as Natalia had been. In his case, it was a phobia towards the prediction becoming true. In Natalia's case was clinging to an impossible promise, which also compromised her own life and the safety of those around her.

The Score had become nothing but an obstacle now that it had been proven wrong. A civil war was on the verge of happening; the Princess could be murdered at any time if the rebellions in name of the Score kept happening; the Emperor could be dethroned at any moment. Keeping it on even a personal level was dangerous. If she asked if it was possible to let go of it completely, his first answer would be a negative. But given the fact that, for once, Jade was convinced he had to let go of that long-foretold destiny, it motivated him to say otherwise. The Necromancer smiled, letting go of Natalia's hand as he stood up.

"I'm not sure it'll be possible. But I can tell… you have a greater power than you can even imagine, Natalia. That is the power of conviction. If you tell your people you believe they can overcome the Score, and you show them you have changed your own destiny, you'd be the turning point for a whole nation. Perhaps even for the whole world. I don't know." His words were sincere and grateful. "You convinced me of it."

"I told you to stop fearing it. I didn't do anything else." Natalia answered, shrugging.

"That's more than enough." Jade turned around, looking straight into her eyes with determination. "Given the current situation and what just happened, I think it's time I do the right thing. Perhaps it's too late already, I could have done this earlier…"

"What are you talking about?" She asked, not letting it go unnoticed that he had suddenly changed his attitude.

"We're saying people should be able to do whatever they want; they should write their own destiny and all that… yet you're bound to your father's wishes and a compromise you didn't initially want." Jade sighed, kneeling before her. "I know you did the same for me before, and you insisted on wanting to go on with the marriage, but I want you to think about it again, especially after what happened just now."

"But I already said…"

"Two more weeks." Jade interrupted her before she could finish. "Think of it for two more weeks and give me an answer by then. Remember the choice is yours, not mine, not your father's. During this whole time, you've been under the pressure of the engagement and in constant fear from the strike, perhaps you don't feel that way towards me now that you have the option to call it off."

"I want to be with you…" Natalia had a hurt tone on her words. "… you're abandoning me as well?"

"I'd never do that." She was only making everything worse. He hated himself so much for doing this to her after what happened with the young Viscount fon Fabre, but if he didn't do so, Natalia would never reflect on her decision and she'd go onto it blindly. "I just want you to face your fate on your own, after all, you're the one who's living it."

"You talk as if I really had an option... you even pretended not to know the outcome of all this two weeks ago, and you're asking me to wait for two more weeks? How selfish..." Natalia stood up, blinded by anger. She hated when decisions were made for her, yet she understood when his actions were coming from. She hated being told what to do, she despised Jade's usual know-it-all attitude and the fact that he wasn't wrong in any way. She hated, among all those things, the fact that her feelings had been completely discarded without even asking for her opinion. _Two more weeks,_ he said. As things were at the moment, two more weeks could mean she was no longer living. Two more weeks could mean a civil war had broken between Malkuth and Kimlasca and that they could not be together even if she wanted to. Two more weeks could mean the end of it all. She walked into the castle, not even asking for Jade's opinion. If she wasn't angry anymore in two weeks, he'd have his answer. For the time being, she just wanted to be alone. Not even her father's welcoming words managed to make her smile anymore.

Jade remained behind on the garden. He knew he had hurt her and that she felt as if she had just been betrayed. In some way, he wasn't there when she needed him the most. Perhaps he should have kept his mouth shut and embraced her until she let go of whatever happened with Luke some minutes earlier. Perhaps he shouldn't have said anything and they should have gone into the wedding without any second thought. But Jade knew better and he acknowledged Natalia would do better if she had another chance to think things through. If she decided to never speak to him again, he understood perfectly. If she wanted to go on with the marriage, he'd be glad to comply.

The Necromancer decided it'd be better to go inform everything to King Ingobert and then proceed to wait for his Emperor's orders. Most likely, Peony would like him to be back to the capital as soon as possible, but he might as well order him to remain in Baticul until the case was closed. Even if the king insisted, Jade would try to keep his distance from the Princess. It was the best he could do, even if he didn't want to let her go. At least he thought that was the only way to set her free.


	10. Come Rain or Shine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At last, here we are! Our story is coming to an end, after everything that happened, our couple may be getting their 'happy ending', while it lasts. I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writting it. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad to be making something for this very unique couple. I'll surely not stop after this one, in fact I have some sort of short stories related to this one, I don't know if I'll actually write them and post them, but... who knows. Thanks so much for reading up until now! Stay beautiful~
> 
> This final chapter goes to everyone who managed to get to this part and to those who left their lovely comments. I want to dedicate it specially to presea221 in and raventsurara in Ao3, they kept commenting and sending good vibes as I edited & uploaded this fic. I would have probably given up half-way through if I hadn't recieved your support, thank you so much! I hope you've enjoyed it!

The day was about to come. Natalia's hands trembled, as she stared at herself in disbelief in the mirror. It had been two long months since the damned engagement got settled, but the ceremony had been postponed several times. It was finally happening. The King hadn't been happy about the delay, since he wanted a rightful heiress and a sure shot on grandchildren one day, but he had no choice but to wait until things turned for the best. First was the strike and their break in Keterburg, then Jade's sudden decision to leave everything to the Princess' best judgement. Natalia hadn't given an answer yet, but neither the Necromancer or her were able to explain to her father that they had given it sometime before making a final decision. King Ingobert went on and planned the wedding without asking any questions, unaware that Natalia might be calling it off the day before the ceremony.

Her reflection in the mirror greeted her with a nervous smile. The dress hanged on the clothes rack behind her, but Natalia was unsure if she should be even looking at it until the ceremony was a sure shot. It was late, she should be going to bed if she wanted to keep her energies for the next day. Just as she was to make her way to bed there was a knock at the door. She walked towards it, knowing who was waiting behind the threshold.

"It's bad luck to see the bride a day before the wedding." She muttered, barely opening the door. Jade stood behind it with a grimace on his face.

"That's why I came a day and a couple of hours before it's time." Natalia looked at the grandfather clock on the wall. She opened the door to let him come inside. With a swift motion, he handed her a small bouquet of white roses. Natalia thanked him and sat on the mattress, explaining she was about to go to bed. "Then I'll be brief. I assume you know why I'm here."

"Are you going to jilt me again?" She answered back in anger. "If you didn't want to do it on first place you should have told me when I asked you about it. Don't go placing the responsibility on someone else." Jade sighed, standing in front of her and staring down directly on her eyes. He shook his head and walked away, towards the window.

"I thought you'd understand, but I should have also foreseen you'd still be angry." He pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to be patient with her. Sometimes, she got on his nerves quite easily. "I assume you're not taking me back."

"I want to do it." Natalia's voice was angry, but Jade also noticed she sounded incredibly sad. "But I won't if you're going to assume you're the only adult in this relationship and I'm just a child who needs to be scolded all the time."

"Then you shouldn't have stopped talking to me for two weeks straight." The Necromancer talked back, trying not to sound spiteful.

"I believed that was what you wanted." The princess stood up and walked towards him. She felt the urge to punch him, for leaving her when she became most vulnerable. Once the thing with the Gwynhams was settled, he ran away for two weeks. He went back to Peony's side, he never even sent a letter. It wasn't her fault. She felt as if Jade had ditched her when she needed him the most. "After all, you're the one who left."

"You needed time to think." Apparently, Natalia wasn't the only one thinking about recurring to violence. He wanted to slap some sense into her, but he had promised never to do that again. Just as she had said before, she wasn't a child anymore. "You were walking into this blindly. After what happened with Luke… I noticed I had become some sort of substitute for Asch to you."

"How dare you…!" Natalia's anger and indignation kept growing. She grabbed the collar of his shirt, making Jade lean down to her height by force. "Don't dare compare yourself to him!"

"You're just confirming what I said." He hissed calmly, but clearly angered as well. He grabbed her hands and placed them down roughly, looking at Natalia's watery eyes. "You're so obsessed with him you'd even go against me, no matter if we're getting married or not."

"What do you want from me?!" Natalia screamed, pulling her hands away from him. "I don't know what to do anymore… Asch disappeared and I couldn't do anything. The royals don't want me taking the crown and I can't do anything. You decide to call it off for my own good, and you won't let me do anything! I feel so… powerless…"

"Move on. That's what I want from you, just as you wanted me to do the same." He held her by the shoulders, trying not to squeeze her too hard. Natalia was about to break down in tears, Jade noticed that perhaps he'd taken it too far. He pulled her closer into his arms, and Natalia didn't resist. "And I never called it off. You needed time to think, I'd just be a burden if I kept reminding you of your responsibilities."

"Well, thanks for nothing." The princess sobbed, embracing him slowly. She drifted from anger to sadness quickly, but Jade understood the mood swing was caused out of frustration. He hugged her gently, the smell of her hair filled his nose as he rested his head atop of hers. "I've done nothing but think I'm unwanted by everyone. My father, my friends, my people… they could have so much better… even you."

"Don't say that…" The Necromancer sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically. "You become such a stupid child when you're under a lot of pressure." Jade pinched her cheek, pestering her on purpose.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, pushing his hand away from her face. "I'm not a child, nor stupid!"

"I'm joking, I'm joking." He laughed, holding each side of her face before kissing her gently. At least he knew he could manage to cheer her up by cracking bad jokes and giving her kisses. "I do have to apologize, perhaps I should have stayed with you and we should have talked with your father, but the damage is done already… do you think you can forgive me?"

"I'm not sure I want to." Natalia mocked with a fake tone of anger, recognizing he was being sincere. "I don't know if I can, after all, you ditched me when you said you had an obligation with me… I mean, I might even have to punish you from lying to your future Queen. In my country, it's penalized with death, but I might be benevolent and make you compensate for it…"

"Is that an offering or something?" Jade smiled mischievously, gaining a slap from the princess. He apologized, laughing. "Then… is the wedding still happening?"

"We have people coming from places outside of the country, I'd not like to send them back. You'll have to win my trust back, though" She kissed him again, raising on the tip of her toes to reach him.

"I'm sorry." He felt like a complete idiot. She didn't answer back, but she hugged him tightly instead. If he didn't know himself any better, he'd have broken down in her arms at the very same moment. He felt terrible for making her suffer like that, and he admitted he'd done wrong in trying to force her to reconsider her options. Perhaps he didn't want this for her, but in the end, it was her decision, not his. He embraced her tightly, resting his forehead against her shoulder. Natalia had never seen him so ashamed, but she didn't have anything else to say to him.

"… I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night."

* * *

It was a tradition in Kimlasca to marry dressed in bright, crimson gowns. Natalia never liked said tradition, because she insisted red was such a violent color for a wedding dress. But, alas, being the future queen of the nation allowed her some liberties when asking the seamstress for her new attire. She still have to marry in red if she wanted to respect her country's custom, though. In the end, she had a red dress with golden decorations, which dragged most of the attention towards them. Another concern she had was another custom from her country she'd left for the last minute: she had to make her fiancé's suit, and Natalia knew she wouldn't be able to do so herself. She had ordered the design and made some suggestions to the seamstress, but in the end, she had not seen the result and she had not seen him wearing it, just like he hadn't seen her wearing the dress. She asked for the suit the same evening Jade left for Malkuth, and ever since then she had no idea of how it ended up looking.

"Aren't you nervous?" Anise asked as she and the other girls helped her get into the dress before her handmaid fixed the last details.

"Of course I'm nervous!" Natalia answered, angered. Tear helped her to fix the back of the dress, making sure to cover the white corset she was wearing beneath it. "You don't get married every day, after all. For Yulia's sake, I'm not even sure if I can do this…" She panicked, which made Tear stop placing the pins.

"B-but there's a lot of people outside... the guards told me the townspeople are reuniting to celebrate outside the castle, you can't get cold feet now."

"I know, I know. I was… forget about it Tear, it's fine." Natalia answered, shaking her head.

"Hurry up! Hurry up!" Anise shouted, glancing through one of the windows into the main hall. "People are starting to take their seats already!"

"Go ahead. Give me just a couple of minutes, tell the priest to get ready, please. I… I need to take a breather before… well… before it's time."

"Don't worry." Tear placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "We're here with you, it's going to be fine."

"Besides, the General is not that bad of a catch, you may try to deny it, but we've seen you, how you react, how you change when you're with him. By the way, he looks dreamy in that suit you gave him!" Anise said as she noticed Jade had already arrived at the altar, accompanied by Peony. "Ohh, sometimes I tend to forget he's actually handsome, he looks really good with his hair up!" The younger girl exclaimed as she checked him out from afar.

"Don't spoil it, Anise! I want to see him myself, you know?" Natalia sighed, taking one long look in the mirror. Anise turned around with a quirky smile, to which Natalia noticed she had screwed up: she had just admitted she liked Jade in front of Anise and she had given her enough reasons to become a bother.

Tear and Anise exited the room and she could listen people chatter outside. One of the rooms to the side had been turned into a changing salon for the time being, the presents and some coats had been placed in there before the ceremony started. After her friends finished fixing her dress, her handmaid placed the lacy veil over her head and fixed the stray locks of blonde hair in their place. She was truthfully scared and unsure everything would turn up just fine. The thoughts in her head were keeping her anxious since past night, many things crossed her mind as she waited for the ceremony to begin. What if something spoiled the ceremony? What if another strike happened? What if Jade, or herself, got cold feet? Anything could happen, and she was truthfully scared everything turned up for the worst.

She'd hoped she'd only have to sign the final papers, but as custom dictated, a large, public ceremony was to be held where the couple would be presented to both the noblemen of the kingdom and the people of Kimlasca. They'd have had to repeat it all over at Malkuth if important members of the army and Jade's direct relatives on the Curtiss family didn't agree to come to Baticul. but fortunately, they did. Just as she had said, Nephry also confirmed her assistance, but her husband wasn't present nor a confirmed guest on the invitation list. Natalia wondered if something had happened between them, but she'd make sure to ask questions later. For the time being, she had a much worrying matter in front of her.

"You look lovely, Your Highness. I'm sure even General Curtiss will be surprised to see you like this"

"I don't know, Giselle, he's a little… hard to please." Natalia said, secretly hoping Jade would like her. She knew he'd probably be completely pissed off and he'd try to finish the event as soon as possible, which made it almost impossible for him to look at her with eagerness, at least until the ceremony and the reception were over. "Thanks anyway, it is indeed a beautiful dress… nothing should go wrong, right?"

"It's going to be marvelous, Your Majesty. Please hurry, the ceremony is about to begin."

"Thank you, Giselle."

Natalia waited in silence, with her eyes closed and her hands over her knees. She felt so unsure about herself at the moment, as if something was tying itself around her throat. She tried to swallow, but it didn't calm the sensation at all. It almost felt like drowning, or as if something was pressing hard against her chest from within her lungs. If it weren't from the music outside, she was sure she'd be able to hear her own accelerated pulse beating frantically.

She'd never felt nervous about public speech, in fact it almost felt natural to do so in most occasions, but that day wasn't the case. Anxiety started to peak and she felt cold sweat running down her temple, which she wiped quickly before it fell into her face. The moment seemed like an eternity, until she heard someone knocking slightly at the door. Natalia stood up and Giselle hurried to the entrance immediately, bowing to her as she made her way out. The light from the outside was so bright she was blinded for a few seconds, which lasted longer than she'd have wished. She felt someone's hand tug at her arm, but she didn't notice until she'd started to walk idly towards the altar that it was her father, the King himself who was leading her to her impending destination.

The door had opened and the Princess took a few seconds to emerge from the room. Jade wasn't feeling nervous or even angry about the wedding; in fact, he was quite curious of the outcome of the events. Even if he had agreed to all of it and he did enjoy Natalia's company, Jade still hated weddings. Even if it was his own wedding, he felt deeply annoyed from being the object of everyone's attention. More than anything he felt bothered that he had been pushed into it by the King and the Emperor. All the time, he had been used as a pawn of Ingobert and Peony's games. He was aware he was just a replacement in one of the Emperor's schemes in which he did not plan to participate directly. But since the situation had reached the point of no return, he might as well take the best out of it and enjoy the ride. From afar, Jade could tell the dress Natalia was wearing was quite luxurious and expensive, but the closer she got as Ingobert walked her down towards the altar, the more precious Natalia looked in his eyes. At least he still got the sight of her to enjoy through all of this. He found himself caught in surprise, with eyes wide open when she stood beside him without looking at him directly. The dress was colored a bright and dark shade of red, adorned with golden thread on her chest and her neck. Beneath the translucent veil he could see Natalia's flustered expression, accompanied by rosy cheeks that showed her embarrassment. She looked astonishing.

Natalia stared idly behind the priest's shoulder, as he begun to speak. Still a bit distracted by her eerie beauty, Jade turned to face the religious man and listened in silence, ignoring grand part of the speech the elder was preaching. Ingobert seemed awfully happy about having the complete ceremony take place in Baticul, whereas the couple had complained about the procedure. Neither of them wanted the religious event to happen, but the King insisted it was a custom to be followed, mostly to please the courtiers. All he wished was to avoid more conflicts.

So far everything had gone as Jade had predicted: Natalia was scared, perhaps she was worried something would go awry. He couldn't blame it on her, after all, during the last important even she had attended, someone planned a hit on her. Everything she had to say to keep the ceremony going on seemed like it was ingrained to her head and it came automatically out of her mouth without processing. From his part, Jade had kept a straight face and a tired smile while he interacted with the religious man, but he was already growing tired of it. He wished the priest would finish soon, or that at least that it wouldn't take much longer. Annoyance was about to show on his face anytime now. However, there was one thing that kept him interested the whole time. It wasn't her nervousness or her giddiness, he'd already seen this side of her plenty of other times. He'd even been pushed to make her to snap out of it by force more than once. That day, however, she had something _else_ and he couldn't put his finger on it. She looked beautiful, he was unable to deny it, but it wasn't her beauty what kept him captivated. There was another fact that made him so interested on her, but he could not point out what was it that made him so distracted. He stared at her for a few seconds, unaware that the priest had been asking him to speak his vows at least twice already. As soon as he reacted and started to speak, he heard a small chuckle coming from Peony's side.

As the princess suspected, he had no intention of putting any fake emotion or make-pretend on the ceremony. If anything, he was swearing loyalty to the crown and Natalia's position as future queen of Kimlasca. However, the noblemen seemed to like those kinds of things. As Jade spoke, given the fact that Natalia had managed to calm down quite a bit since the beginning of the ceremony, or at least while she wasn't supposed to be speaking, she turned her head towards him. She hadn't taken the time to look at him at all, but Anise hadn't lied back then, he did look astonishing, clad in the outfit she'd gifted him as Kimlascan tradition dictated. It was a dark, ultramarine blue jacket mixed with a gray shirt and silver details on the flaps and the cuffs, almost resembling the military uniform she used to see Jade wearing all the time. His silver glasses were perfectly placed over the bridge of his nose, and a simple yet elegant decoration with blue beads dangled from one of the sides. His dark blonde hair was tied on a high ponytail, which made his features look even more graceful. For such a delicate, even feminine physical appearance he had, Jade was surely one handsome man. She blushed at the thought of it, unable to erease certain images from weeks before. Her concerns took hold of her again, but she tried to remain calm as she waited for her turn to speak.

Just as those thoughts invaded her mind, she heard the priest ask for her vows, for the ceremony to be over. Nervousness came back crawling into her body, as she felt the words get stuck in her throat. However, she also felt a sudden warmth on her left shoulder and a slight caress on her skin. Jade tried to ease her anxiety as she spoke, his thumb was rubbing her shoulder carefully, as if she'd break if he applied even a little more pressure. She'd believed he was unfazed by her fears before, but as she stuttered the first words of her speech, Natalia could catch a glimpse of her fiancé pursing his lips and staring nervously at her from the corner of his eyes. His hand never moved from her shoulder the whole time she had to speak. His worry, his attempts at comforting her, the sense of calm and protection he gave to her… it became the motivation Natalia was lacking at the moment. If he was besides her, she knew she would be able to manage whatever happened that day.

* * *

It ended quickly. A chaste gesture, a peck on the lips that didn't last more than a couple of seconds, and the ceremony was officially over. Barely any touching, no clinging into each other's arms, it was just a kiss, the first they had shared in public. They had to keep pretending it was nothing but an arrangement between two nations, but deep inside, Natalia was bursting up with joy. Her mouth was soft and her skin trembled slightly at his touch when his gloved fingers grasped her cheek for just a second. They were all watching them, but none knew anything about their relationship, about the tenderness and the closeness they shared in secret. If they only knew what she knew, or they felt the same way as the Princess felt, they'd understand the ceremony was nothing but an elaborate staging to satisfy the needs of two nations on the brink of war. Many of the noblemen and women were greeting and congratulating them as they walked down the aisle, escorted both by Peony and Ingobert, but Natalia's gestures shook them off and derailed them from their pompous flattery. Chatter started to arise once again, as the guests made their way to the ball room. The couple, however, had another stop to make before the reception.

Jade knew the main structure of the castle but he'd never been to the higher floors that went beyond Natalia and King Ingobert's chambers. He followed through the entire time, knowing their destination was the balcony on the main tower, which faced to the public plaza.

"Well, it's finally done. How are you feeling?" Jade asked on a hushed voice, leaning down to speak to her ear. Natalia was startled by the sound and jumped a little.

"I… I'm fine, thanks. I got nervous again, I don't know why." She explained, grabbing his arm as they made their way upstairs. "Thanks for having my back during the ceremony… I really needed it."

"Don't mind, that's my duty, after all." Jade answered with a radiant smile. Natalia could tell he was just as happy as she was, but he was letting it show now that he was away from the public eye. "Need to take a breath? I don't think they'd mind"

"Oh, no, everything's fine, I just needed to get away from the people in the ceremony, that's it. I… I didn't want to stay there, under prying eyes…" She admitted, getting nervous again.

"You're well aware of where we're going now, don't you? I'm afraid if you're suffering from a bit of social anxiety it'd be better for you to avoid this for the moment. Not to mention the reception…" They were making their way upstairs already. If Natalia wanted to call for a break, she had to speak then or it'd be too late. Deep down, he was afraid she might cower, or that her body couldn't sustain so much pressure.

"I don't mind talking with the townsfolk, they're perfectly fine. It's the nobles I'm worried about. What if… what if another strike happens? Wouldn't everyone be in danger?" She answered bluntly. Her response came out louder than she had expected, which made Peony and her father turn around to look at her, concerned.

"I can do the announcement if you want…" King Ingobert said, but Natalia shook her head. They had already reached the main room of the principal tower. It was too late to back down from this.

"N-no, father, I can do it. I'm just nervous, something may happen."

"Don't be." Peony said, stopping for a second to glance at Natalia. "The people of your country love you. Remember that they did not judge you at your worst, why would they criticize you when they believe it is your best? Right now, if anything were to happen, you have the support of all those townsfolk to help you in a dire moment. If another strike were to happen, the one responsible for it would regret it until the end of their days." He had a point, Natalia acknowledged with a nod. However, her body wasn't willing to give in to Peony's advice as easily. Her palms were sweaty and she almost felt her eyes watering behind her eyelids when she closed them in a failed attempt to regain her composure.

"Natalia, it's time." Jade pressured, offering a hand to her as the servants opened the wooden door before them.

"I know…" She walked towards him. The wooden door was only meant to be used whenever a ceremony of such importance was held. The portal creaked as the servants pushed the curtains away and a veil of dust flied away from them. Natalia's steps were reluctant and short, until Jade placed an arm behind her back and almost pushed her towards the balcony. He was clearly growing tired of her constant panicking, but he wasn't harsh in his actions. In fact, his arm pulled her closer to him with care and affection. He was good at playing his part, she had to give him that.

A bright ray of light invaded her eyes, the sun was setting just behind the horizon that pronounced Baticul's landscape. She was blinded momentarily, but a large roar of excitement and cheerfulness filled her ears in an instant. She glanced down to the crowd, averting her eyes from the sun and found the whole plaza was filled up in every corner with the peasants of Kimlasca and some malkuthians who came in as visitors just for the events, screaming congratulatory and encouraging words to the couple. Men, women and children were reunited down there, claiming her name with a smile as bright as the sun that shone above her head. Her fears ran away from her body as her eyes opened wide in surprise.

Jade watched Natalia transform in a split second from a scaredy girl that cowered inside the castle from the prying eyes of the court, into a Would-Be-Queen that showed courage to face her people with a smile on her lips in one of her direst moments. She grinned widely and waved at the people beneath her with eagerness. Jade kept holding her slightly and saluted as well, with least excitement that Natalia portrayed. The crowd cheered for some straight whole minutes, until the emotion faded out when Natalia signaled them to keep silent.

"People of Kimlasca!" She exclaimed with a very loud voice that resonated through the plaza. Jade was amazed she didn't need any sort of device to help herself, as everyone down below must have been able to hear her. "Thank you for your unyielding support and your devoted love for our country and its Royal Family. Tonight… tonight we celebrate! Tonight is a won battle for both Kimlasca and Malkuth, as both our nations join in holy matrimony for the sake of our much longed search for peace. I am glad to announce to you that I, Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, Daughter of King Ingobert the VI and the late Queen Olivia of Lanvaldear, future regnant of our beloved country, have chosen the man that will bring light into both nations and rule by my side when the time comes. I hereby present to you General Jade Curtiss from the Malkuth Empire as my beloved husband. Together we…" Natalia hesitated for a moment, glancing at Jade for a bit. He turned his face to see why did she stop, but she turned her head immediately. "Together we'll change this country. We'll change this country and we'll help Malkuth in every way that's possible for us. We'll change it so no one has to suffer from poverty and hunger. We'll change both Kimlasca and Malkuth so that war never happens again, for all of our citizens to live in peace. We'll work to change our nations. For the rest of our lives… together." Her voice broke with that last statement and Jade could see tears streaming down her face. However, her smile was still as bright as the sun settign before them. Those were tears of happiness, and Jade was sure those words weren't improvised at the moment. Those words, at least to him, sounded like a promise, as if they were a pledge Natalia had made with her people without his knowledge. The crowd cheered loudly when she was finished, claiming her name with excitement. King Ingobert gave a small speech and along with Peony both offered to pay the expenses for the town's celebration in name of the Princess's wedding. More cheerful screams and laughter could be heard from below, but Natalia wandered back inside the castle immediately.

They went back inside and Natalia excused herself as soon as the butler closed the door once again. She said she had to get changed for the reception, but the tears in her face betrayed her. Peony let it slip as excitement, but both Ingobert and Jade knew she was lying. She ran away to her room, refusing to wait and give her father any further explanation. Knowing his daughter better, the King asked Jade if he could go after her to see what had happened. Jade had his own suspicions, but he would gladly talk to her. After all, of all people, perhaps it was him who Natalia would talk most willingly.

* * *

"Come in" Natalia said with a low voice after someone knocked twice at her door.

"It's me" Jade said, pushing the door open and waiting for her to say it was fine to get inside. "Are you sure you want me to come in?"

"Ah… y-yeah, sorry for earlier. P-please close the door, I don't want anyone else to come and see me like this."

"Don't worry, I told the maids to keep an eye on the hall." He assured, sitting in one of the couches in front of the bed.

"Did my father send you?" She asked, sitting in front of him.

"He did, but I was concerned as well. Do you mind to share what happened?" Jade asked with inquiring eyes. She was changing into a dark blue gown that quite matched his suit, but the princess kept struggling with some of the buttons of the red dress on the back of her neck she was unable to unfasten by herself. Jade sighed and offered his help to get it off with a slight gesture of his hands. Natalia turned around to let him work at it.

"I don't want to bother you with it." She said sincerely.

"You don't bother me; you can tell me." He answered calmly as he saw the cause of her struggle. The necklace she was wearing was tangled with her hair and the upper button of the dress. Thankfully, Jade was patient enough to try to fix it instead of ripping it off.

"No, really, it was nothing…"

"Don't tell me, then. I can assume it on my own, if you don't mind, Princess" He said calmly. Natalia laughed and nodded. "Your words were natural, even innocent. That speech sounded like something a child would promise. Perhaps a pledge made with a lost lover you expected to have taken my place today." Natalia turned around slightly, impressed by Jade's deduction capabilities. He placed a hand on her shoulder to ask her not to move around while he untangled the necklace, or it might get stuck in her hair.

"You're good." She chuckled in defeat. "But you have one detail mistaken, dear."

"Oh? Mind to enlighten me, then? You seem more cheerful than I thought you'd be, to be honest." Jade admitted, letting out a large sigh. He finally untangled the necklace, and proceeded to take it off her neck.

"It was a promise I made as a child, as you said. Indeed, it was to a lost lover. But you were wrong assuming I expected him to take your place. I must keep that promise to honor his memory, that's my duty after all. But I want to do it with _you."_ Her green eyes posed on his, gazing at him deeply. There was anxiousness in her stare, but there were no traces of fear anymore. "I want you to be part of it, as much as Asch would have been, but I finally understood you're not, and you'll never be a replacement for him. In many ways during our trip to Keterburg, you became some sort of substitute for the affection I craved, which I never actually had. As time went by, and after we talked past night, however… I noticed I had been confused for a long time. You were not acting as a replacement for Asch… I was actually falling in love with you."

"I'm glad to hear it." Jade smiled widely, handing her the necklace. "Then, I pledge to keep that promise, if that's what you want." He held her hands and he gave her that kind smile he had reserved only for her. After a moment of silence, while he kept thinking what to say carefully, he finally spoke again. "It's good to know we're finally on the same page."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I meant to say I'm glad to know you feel the same as I do." It was so hard for him to say it directly. Natalia understood perfectly, but it was more than enough for her.

* * *

After the formalities of the reception, where Natalia decided it'd be best to keep her mouth shut and barely speak to any of her guests unless it was completely necessary, she had asked her friends and close family to remain once the celebration was over for a more private party.

Once the last guests had left the chamber, Natalia slowly regained her usual self and opened herself more to her guests, firstly introducing herself formally to Lord and Lady Curtiss, as well as Jade's elder sister from said family. They were very formal and serious, but they greeted the Princess as one of their own the minute she welcomed them. Izumi, who Jade had mentioned several times before while they were in Keterburg, was a tall and fit woman with dark hair and tan skin. Natalia noticed she had a fonic circle tattooed on her left wrist, which made her believe she had discovered an alternate way to draw fonons into her body, not just by opening one's fonbelts as per usual. Just as her adoptive brother, she was surely a master mage. Izumi came accompanied by her husband, a large man with a well-trimmed beard, who seemed to be in very good relationship with Jade. They both congratulated Natalia on their marriage and her future coronation, but otherwise they preferred to speak to Jade for as long as they were present in the room.

The princess decided it was better to leave them some time together and visit some other guests, now that she had the time to be with everyone at the party. Just as it was to be expected, her father was reunited with Duke Fabre and aunt Suzanne at the center of the room; Tear, Luke and Guy were talking with Anise about something at the food table, or whatever remained of it. The Curtiss family drank and made a toast in honor of their adopted son, hoping to welcome another member into the clan sometime soon. However, Natalia had someone else on her mind as she was walking around. She darted her eyes in search for someone who wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Jade said, catching up behind her after some minutes.

"Ever since the private party began, I've not seen your dear sister around." She explained with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, how curious, I don't recall seeing Emperor Peony, as well." Jade returned the smirk, walking beside her in her quest to find them. An idea seemed to pop up in his mind, as he moved forward and signaled her to follow him. "This balcony leads to the inner garden, right?" He asked, opening the crystal door for her to go through before him.

"Indeed." The princess conceded, looking around on the patches of flowers beneath them.

"There they are…" Jade pointed right in front of her, but pulled her arm so she'd not loom over to eavesdrop. "But I wonder, Count Osbourne isn't here, why are they…?"

"Don't act like you don't know what's happening." Natalia interrupted with a sarcastic look on her eyes.

"You're meaning to tell me you set them up back together?"

"Not quite, I just pulled some of your sister's heartstrings when we left your hometown… Perhaps I insisted a little bit too much on getting back in contact with the Emperor… but I didn't say anything about kissing in secret, you know?"

"Now you're playing matchmaker too?" He asked, laughing. Jade had a cup of wine on his hand, and he turned it around playfully as they spoke.

"Let's call it revenge for what your dear Emperor did to us."

"I like the way you think, Princess."

The couple walked back into the main chamber, laughing mischievously as they gossiped about what they just had seen. Music kept playing and some of their guests were dancing slowly, almost idly at the tune of the violins. Natalia sighed, as she made her way to the main table and Jade followed right behind her. Just before reaching her seat, he stopped her and offered a hand, inviting her to dance. The princess looked at him, estranged, as he had refused to do so during the main event, in front of everybody else. She could imagine why he did so, but she never assumed he'd offer himself during the private reception.

"This is unexpected…" she admitted, but accepted his offering and walked into the floor with him.

"I'm not asking for a dance; I'm asking for a talk without anyone intruding into our conversation. We need to keep their eyes on us, so running away like my sister did is not an option." He explained and held the small of her back as he led her slowly to the rhythm of the melody. The others noticed they were dancing, but besides smiles and an occasional clap, nobody interrupted them.

"So, what's the matter?"

"I have two main concerns to discuss with you, dear… both worrisome and pressing, to be honest. I didn't want to bring them earlier because it'd stress you even more." Natalia nodded and asked him to proceed. Jade inhaled deeply and made her lean closer. "Firstly, I couldn't avoid to notice your peaking anxiety from today. You've been quite more nervous than I expected you to be… did something happen?"

"Huh? No, nothing…" Her words didn't sound sincere. Jade's grimace was enough to make her notice he hadn't believed her. She rolled her eyes and corrected herself, pissed: "Oh, fine. I keep forgetting I can't hide anything from you. I-I've not been feeling well since I woke up. Dizziness, nausea, lack of appetite… I don't get this nervous when social events come, you know me better than that."

"Those symptoms—"

"Exactly." Natalia interrupted before he could even mutter what both suspected. "D-don't even ask, I'm not sure of anything, but I began feeling terrible since then… and my mind run wild while I waited for the ceremony to begin. What if anything happened? W-hat if they had managed to plan another strike? I'd not know what to do... too many things crammed up and I began to panic."

"You should have said something. Then we could have thought of a plan together." Jade remembered she held her lower abdomen several times during the ceremony and some others during her speech at the main balcony. Perhaps unconsciously, she'd been doing that as a sign of protection whenever her anxiety grew unmeasurable.

"We had no time." The princess said, looking around to make sure nobody had listened. "I guess that answers your first question?"

"Indeed it does, though I wish you'd have had a different explanation." Jade looked down at her, concerned. "It opens a lot of other doubts."

"Well, the musicians seem eager to keep us dancing… so keep asking."

"Hmm… it can all be reduced to one simple question, actually." Jade moved calmly, avoiding bumping into others and keeping enough distance so that they'd not listen to anything they said. He knew Natalia wouldn't like anyone to suspect about her current concerns. At least coming from her family's part, she'd never hear the end of it. "What are we going to do now?"

"Explain further, please." She asked, confused.

"I firstly wanted to ask you in relation to our next plans. Where do you want to go? Are you staying here or do you…?" Jade stopped mid-sentence and glanced away from her, ashamed. Natalia smiled, amazed he could get flustered before asking something. "… do you want to come with me?"

"We have to talk to my father."

"I did that already." He answered bluntly, still avoiding her eyes. "Before the ceremony I caught him walking around the palace and I took my chance. He says he wants whatever you choose to do, if it's the best for you. Just as we talked, once he leaves the crown to you, you must come back and stay here, but until then, you're free to do as you wish."

"Oh…" Natalia opened her eyes wide, considering her options. Of course, she could go with Jade if she wanted, but she'd also have to leave her father behind. Things weren't safe anymore and her father wasn't getting younger each day that passed. It wasn't a decision she could make abruptly. "I'll have to think about it… for the time being, I think I'll stay here with my family. I… I hope you can do the same."

"You know my answer, Princess. As long as I'm able to go back to my research, I'll be glad to stay." Jade conceded. He stopped moving once the melody they were dancing to had stopped and walked her back to the balcony. If anyone asked, he'd say they were taking a break for the moment. Once they were outside, Jade placed his coat on her shoulders to shield her from the cold, then he resumed his interrogation. "Alas, I have to ask again… what are we going to do?"

"I can keep traveling, and I assume you can do the same if it doesn't stop your investigation… we'll find a way to make it work."

"I didn't mean that… if your concerns turn out to be true, traveling would be the least of our problems." Jade rose an eyebrow and tried to keep his cool the best he managed. "We'll have to consider many things if that's the case."

"Jade… you're actually worrying?" Natalia giggled, partially filled with joy and partially amused by his unusual behavior. "It's not like you. Relax, it's probably a false alarm, I had a bad night of sleep past night and I didn't eat much, it may be just that."

"Humor me here." He didn't admit it, but he was severely panicking. He had evidently considered the fact that he'd have to father a child sometime soon, after everything that had happened, but he didn't imagine it'd have happened so fast. He wasn't sure he was going to be a good example to follow for a child. In fact, he believed he'd be a lousy father. After many years of living alone and being the example of what a bachelor should be, he had eliminated every idea of parenthood from his mind. It was resurfacing now, wreaking havoc in his head. Natalia could be right, it may just be a false alarm, but he was usually careful enough to plan ahead of things, even if they didn't happen in first place. "What are we going to do if it's true?"

"Listen…" Natalia sat on one of the stone benches and asked him to do the same. "This series of events made me realize one thing. I've lost so many people during my life, to many of them I was unable to even say goodbye. Asch, my mother Olivia, Badaq, Sylvia, Ion, everyone that should be here, they're all gone. All of them were my family in one way or another, and I've lost them because I couldn't be there for them when they needed me. I don't want that to ever happen again. I want to be with my father, with my uncle and aunt, with Luke, Tear and the others… but most importantly, I want to be with you."

Jade opened his eyes wide as Natalia leaned closer, holding his hands in hers. She'd always been so sincere with her feelings it was almost bothersome, but she had a point and he had to give her that. She had lost so many people, and yet, she remained so calm and so strong when it came to facing her country as their Queen. She had one weakness, though: seeing the ones she loved being vulnerable. It made her frail and feeble, but at the same time it made he resolute and brave. Perhaps that was why she managed to face him and say everything so sincerely, even if she believed he didn't feel the same. Even if she felt he'd eventually leave her, just like everybody else did.

"Whatever happens, we'll stick together. If something… if someone else comes later, then we'll learn to live with it. If we must stay in one place or if we should travel to the end of the world, I'll make sure you're by my side. It's the only thing I want, to be honest."

Jade glanced away from her, completely flustered once again. How was it possible for him to say no to any of this when she was being so honest? He grew desperate, for he knew it was hard for him to express the way he felt towards her. It had started to become some sort of blind devotion towards Natalia, but now that something else loomed on the horizon, it also became a responsibility he'd never wanted to take on his hands. But whatever wish the Princess had, he felt forced to comply. Such was the power she had over him. Just how strong was her spell that she had managed to charm him in such a way?

"Nat, I…"

"Don't talk." She shook her head and placed a finger on his lips, knowing he'd screw everything if he tried to process everything with his usual logic and reason. "Whatever comes, will come. My mother used to say that."

"I know. I wanted to make a proposal."

"What is it?"

"Oliver if it's a boy. Gelda if it's a girl." He smirked, removing her hand from his mouth and he kissed her fingers gently. "If you're asking me to stay like that, I can't say no anymore. I'm yours, you know it."

Natalia didn't understand how did she manage to fall in love with him in so little time. It wasn't about longing for affection anymore. It wasn't about lingering on fading lovers from the past, either. Yet, it happened. She knew she had a certain control over him she didn't quite understand how it worked, but the fact that she had him tied around her finger was undeniable. She'd have never imagined seeing the Necromancer down onto anyone's desires, much less to hers, and yet there he was, promising a future together just because she asked gently for it.

They had to be brief or the other guests would start to wonder why weren't they coming back to the celebration, it'd be still a couple of hours before they managed to escape to Natalia's private chambers. But, by then, she didn't care anymore about anyone else's thoughts. He had finally opened and he had torn down every wall he had brought upon himself after two decades of remorse and self-loathing. Natalia hugged him before walking back to the ballroom. Jade latched his arms around her and rested his nose on the crook of her neck, smelling the delicate perfume she wore that evening. He felt grateful, an almost alien feeling to him; in the end, if it wasn't for all the adoration and compassion she'd been giving him for the past months, he'd have never discovered he still had some will to love in his heart.

Jade loved her. He truly loved her and he didn't know how he got there on first place. It all started as one of Peony's schemes and it ended somewhere completely unexpected, on him falling head over heels for the Princess. He didn't understand how it happened. He'd sworn to be by her side and he'd pledged to keep her promise to her kingdom. He'd vowed to protect her for any ill that may come her way, to be her knight in shining armor, to bring her with him to his nation and show her the world she had been missing while locked in her palace… he'd become everything he had despised in the past about other men, and yet, he felt utmost pleasure when it came to see her smile, her expressions of bliss and her happiness showing. Natalia had become, indeed, his every source of joy and hope, in a way he didn't manage to comprehend. In the end, he didn't want to understand any of it at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final Autor's Notes: And so, it's finally done! A whole year it took, and yet I finished it on Halloween night/Day of the Death's eve, and that makes me so happy! I edited it all by myself, it took two weeks of hard work once it was done... I was afraid no one would read it, but as I said in my first comments, I wrote this for myself. There are no fanfics or fanarts of them, besides the adult doujinshi series drawn by Shuragyoku Mami (The awesome cover for this fic is an illustration of hers), and I needed to calm this guilty pleasure of mine. This is the result of an obsession with an unpopular ship and listening too much sad music for a prolonged time.
> 
> Through the whole story and up until the end I felt Jade turned quite OCC, just as expected. He's really hard to write without falling into the typical clichés of his character, yet, I tried to think of him as a redeemed man, who's obviously opening up to a single person in the story and to us, the readers. All of the other characters were really fun to write, Natalia was perhaps the one I liked developing the most, placing most of the events from her perspective gave some insight into the Princess' mind. She and Jade are perhaps my favorite Tales characters, so giving myself the chance to explore their personalities was also great.
> 
> I uh… I also tend to forget their age gap is around 20 years. Even if Natalia acts a lot older and mature, even if her romance with Asch usually turns her into a hormonal teenager, and Jade is quite of an ageless character to me, their age gap is undenyable. Surely he's the adult character of the party, but he behaves like an old man and a child at the same time during the whole story of the game. That added quite some trouble to writing the two main characters, but developing this kind of romantic relationship also presented itself as a challenge. I know that in most cases they're wrong, but I'm a sucker for age gaps, damn it. (... perhaps I shouldn't have been reading Lolita while I wrote the last chapters...).
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, please don't kill me for picking up weird and unpopular couples. I loved JadexNat from the minute I laid my eyes on it, as you can see by the story that you've just read. They have so much potential, simply as friends, or even as acquaintances, but I wanted to explore more on their relationship as a couple. Then that's it, I was just experimenting with a ship I randomly found and fell in love with. I will surely keep doing so, because they're so much fun and drama together!
> 
> Then, see you on the next one, guys! I hope you had a great time discovering this rare pair as much as I did!


End file.
